EMMA PIRHALA / ASST. NEWS EDITOR

As registration for next semester’s classes kicks off, many USD students wonder when they will receive their financial aid packages for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year.  In the fall of 2022, 86% of USD students received some form of financial aid. Financial aid packages are normally reported in March. However, the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application has had significant delays due to updates to the platform and   miscalculations by the Department of Education (DOE) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) which resulted    in inaccurate    information   being sent to universities across the country.

USD sophomore Jasmine Guevara detailed her experience with the miscalculations and delays. 

“I have heard friends being affected by [the IRS miscalculations]. I think the way that the [DOE] handled it was irresponsible, because it is a lot of money and a lot of people depend on that money,” Guevara said.

The Federal Student Aid website reports that “The 2024–25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) includes unprecedented changes to how students and families apply for federal student aid and how we determine eligibility.”

Although the Department of Education reported that the new FAFSA form would come out in December, the application was not released until January, and users faced significant issues due to miswording of some questions. For example, one question asked: “Are the student’s parents unwilling to provide their information, but the student doesn’t have an unusual circumstance that prevents them from contacting or obtaining their parents’ information?” 

If a student reported “yes,” then they affirmed that their parents’ information wouldn’t be included, and they would be disqualified from most federal aid options. If a student made a mistake on their application, they were unable to make corrections until mid-March. 

Chief Operating Officer of Federal Student Aid, Richard Cordray tweeted an update regarding the delays. 

“Federal Student Aid is aware of issues concerning IRS tax data provided to schools for student records    on      2024-25 FAFSA forms and recognizes how important it is for schools and families to have the information they need to package and receive aid offers.”

USD Director of Financial Aid Kellie Nehring explained the impact to USD students’ financial aid packages.

“There have been significant delays with the release of 24/25 FAFSA applications from the Department of Education. Unfortunately, all universities have been impacted by the miscalculations and all students have been impacted by the delay. The Office of Financial Aid (OFA)[at USD] began receiving data from the Department of Education on Monday, April 1. The OFA is working as quickly as possible and we will be processing FAFSA applications in the order in which they were submitted. Students will be notified through their USD portal when their Financial Aid Offer is available.”

Many Toreros are unsure of how much they will pay for schooling next year.

USD first-year Joshua Vicente detailed his experience with this year’s FAFSA form.

“It’s tough — not knowing how much help we’re going to get. For some people, they rely a lot on aid, and it’s going to be really tough for them since they’re already registering for classes,” he explained.

USD sophomore Elena Williams explained her experience with the FAFSA this year.

“I completed my FAFSA. But, unfortunately, I got an email saying it got rejected and currently I don’t  know why it was rejected. This is really imperative for me, because as someone who wants to join student leadership and is worried about the financial costs  it could limit my ability to do the things I want to do at USD and attend altogether,     with rising tuition costs,”  Williams explained. 

As of now, financial aid packages will be released as they are received and processed. 

The majority of  students rely on FAFSA for financial aid to attend USD.  Emma Pirhala/The USD Vista