Vice Provost Jacobs: Advice To ED Students About FAFSA Delays.
University of Vermont's Jay Jacobs, Vice Provost Enrollment Management
I talked to Dr. Jay Jacobs Vice Provost of Enrollment Management at the University of Vermont (UVM) about how FAFSA Delays are impacting UVM and ED Students.
Here is the edited conversation.
Q1: How has the FAFSA Delay Impacted UVM?
Dr. Jacobs: Sure it impacts the University of Vermont, and specifically our financial aid office, because we too, are delayed in receiving any data, or any test cases of FASFA data, which we call ICER data, into our student records.
If we were to receive ICER data tomorrow, we wouldn't be ready to process that ICER data.
I think families believe that once they click submit on the FASFA, that universities obtain the data and can immediately turn around an Early Decision (ED) offer.
You know, if the federal government says, tomorrow, you tomorrow, we'll be able to release ICER data, we still need that our vendors, our partners, our software systems to catch up to those delays in order to generate offers and warrants.
Q2: So, long would be the delay be, if you got the data tomorrow?
Dr. Jacobs: I don't know. Every day, we learn more and more new information.
In fact, we just learned this morning that our software vendor won't be prepared until at least mid-February, with upgrades to their system.
So we're anticipating that we may not be able to get ED offers out until at least late February, maybe even early March.
Q3: So what should UVM ED students do?
Dr. Jacobs: Early Decision and Early Action admitted students will hear aid offers by late February, early March.
In the meantime, I think what they should be doing is,
One filling out the FAFSA if they if they haven't already done right, right. And setting up the the steps on the federal government side to be successful, meaning, you know, contributors need to get their i.e., parents need to get their FSA ID or if you're an undocumented student, you need to follow the steps in order to get the FSA ID and things like that.
When students and families are looking at colleges and universities to attend, I think one thing to do is go to the Financial Aid website and see if there's any information there on steps that students can be doing today.
One thing that we are working really hard on at the University of Vermont is testing our Net Price Calculator and and making sure that it is as up-to-date and as accurate as possible.
So we are testing that feverishly last week and this week, with the idea that we will get a note out to admitted students early next week, to say,
We understand financial aid offers are delayed,
But we want you to be able to have the best information as possible,
Please go check out our net price calculator,
Sit down with your family or caregivers, whoever's financing your education,
To make sure that the data that you're entering into the net price calculator is as accurate as possible.
So that it spits out the best estimate of the financial aid offer that you will pay.
Q4: Is there a backup plan, if there are further delays?
Dr. Jacobs: In fact, in my one on one with my financial aid director this morning, you know, I said, “What happens if come March 31 and we still don't have FAFSA?How the heck are we going to yield a class?
You know, I think we need to start to get really creative on how we can obtain data from families and get out financial aid packet estimates without the federal government as the middleman!”
Q5: What would your Advice be for ED and Early Action Students and Parents?
Dr. Jacobs: Here’s what I would say.
Go to different institutions websites and fill out Net Price Calculators with the most accurate data that you can enter so that the best possible aid offer best, the best possible aid estimate gets spit out at you from those things.
I would also just say, be patient, and bear in bear with us, us being institutions, us being the Federal Student Aid Office, us being the federal government.
I mean, I think, I think I think especially the past few weeks and months, you know, this has gotten so much attention in the media, I think it's only going to become I think there's only going to be a bigger magnifying glass on is in the next six to eight weeks.
And I think that everybody's working their tails off to make this thing as as best as possible, given the lemons we were handed.
Listen to the Podcast with Vice Provost of Enrollment Management Dr. Jay Jacobs of University of Vermont.(12-Minute Listen).
Finally, my heartfelt Thanks to all my Podcast guests who have been generous with their time and counsel on my Podcast.
Have a wonderful week!
Venkat