Imagine preparing yourself for college your entire high school career. You finally get to your senior year and the FAFSA is not available when it was supposed to be available because they are working on the form to make it better for all that apply. You are getting nervous that you will not have enough time to apply. It was supposed to be finished on time, but they were behind schedule. You have already chosen the school that you would love to attend. You are even daydreaming about what life will be like there. The FAFSA finally gets its makeover, and it is time for you to apply. Applying is supposed to be easier. The first problem is nothing seems to be straight forward. You’re confused about what you need, where to find it, and if you actually need to answer some of the questions being asked. You plow through the process in hopes that you did not make a mistake, but if you did there are always corrections. You submit your application finally. You check your email and now there is a problem.
It is important to understand what the FAFSA is all about and how it impacts black students, especially low-income black students. According to the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, 80.6% of black students relied on some type of financial aid. How the FAFSA impacts black students specifically and alternatives and solutions are both important for those that are going through this delayed process of the FAFSA. Those are all things that we are going to talk about. So, let’s get right on into it.
About FAFSA And How It Impacts Students
FAFSA has been around for a while. Attending an HBCU personally, I heard the word FAFSA numerous times. The one thing I did not do was apply to it and I should have. I listened to my parents say that I “probably wouldn’t receive any money anyway” and I didn’t apply. In reality, I may have gotten something. However, for a lot of people, especially low-income black students the FAFSA may keep them out of the classroom. It appears that they may not receive anything due to the issues with the FAFSA. So, what is FAFSA and what is the problem exactly? FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Back in 2020 the Department of Education felt like it was time to go ahead and revamp the FAFSA form. It took longer to fix, and the form did not open on its usual date of October 1st, instead it opened on December 30th. So, you as a student are already almost three months behind getting in the information that is needed to get you the funds you need to attend school. Black low-income students are affected the most. They are affected the most because they heavily rely on financial aid, and without it they will not be able to meet the funding needed to attend school. Approximately 1.1 million applications ended up having errors due to an incorrect formula when calculating the need of the student and inflation. Now this is not the only problem, but it’s one of the ones that holds the biggest weight when it comes to black students because the processing time will take entirely too long. When you have errors your application cannot move through the process, which means no money.
Alternatives And Solutions When FAFSA Is Delayed
So as a black student who is relying on FAFSA to help you get to the next chapter in your life, what are you supposed to do? How can you move on and still attend school without putting yourself into debt? For many black students, this is the only way to be able to afford a higher education. The first suggestion I am going to make is college planning. Have you made your plan yet? Understandably you are worried and as I’m reading an article by NPR, I’m finding that schools are also nervous and worried. This is understandable. Apparently, their numbers may drop. Although it is higher education, they are still running a business. Colleges and Universities have deadlines and expectations also.
So, we’ve talked about the problem, what can you do as a solution? Let us first talk about scholarships and grants. Scholarships and Grants are hands down the best way to complete a degree debt-free. The key to creating enough revenue is to apply to these scholarships and grants early. You will not get every scholarship that you apply to, but applying is a sure way to get some kind of money at some point. You have to keep at it and the money will start to stack up for you.
Scholarships and Grants are the first solution. The second solution I have is a two-year degree. Hear me out, I am not trying to make you alter your dreams, but there are a few other options that may not cost as much as a four-year college in the meantime. What I am going to say does not mean you cannot go back to your chosen school. It is just another pathway. Go to a two-year college and get the classes that everyone takes year one and two out of the way. Then look into finishing up at a four-year college or university. This can also give you more time to put away your money, apply to FAFSA again and apply to many scholarships and grants.
Here, it is all about going to school debt-free no matter where you attend. So, the next suggestion is to get a part time job or work study. This will not pay for all of your tuition and other expenses and fees depending upon how school is set up for you, but it will give you some extra money. The only way I can see doing this option is by having some scholarships and grants and the part-time job or work-study job fill in the gaps to pay for the rest of the payments that need to be made. The least attractive setup to working a part-time job or work-study job is to go to school part-time and it should help cover those few credit hours you are taking better.
I encourage you to do something you may or may not want to do. Attend a school that you are a resident in the same state. Although tuition is very expensive, attending an out of state school is astronomical. It may not be your first choice, but if it gives you what you need choose that state college or university. It will be lighter on your pockets and create less stress on paying or worrying about those pesky student loans once you walk across the stage.
Lastly, if you feel these are too much to handle and you want to try your luck at another option, there are four schools that I know of that you can attend free of tuition, but in exchange for a more unique way of paying such as working on campus or some kind of service after you have completed your degree. The four schools are Alice Lloyd College, The Apprentice School, Antioch College, Barclay College. I know nothing about these schools personally except that they exist. It may or may not be a good fit for you.
I am an HBCU advocate through and through. I had nothing but a great experience, but I do understand that money talks, and it tells you what you can afford to do. I just wanted to give you some options that you may or may not have thought about. Trying to navigate this entire system of financial aid that is supposed to be helpful to the black community is hard. There are already so many obstacles and I hope you were not burdened with having to change your plans because of the mishandling of this new FAFSA form.
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Over there I will have scholarships and grants to apply to and other content you may be interested in. I am putting together a step-by-step guide for filling out the FAFSA. I think it is needed and hopefully it will be helpful to you. Also, my website will be up and running soon and you will be able to follow me there for other exclusive content, communities, digital products and more. Thank you for reading.