- FAFSA changes have made it hard for students with immigrant parents to file for financial aid.
- Michelle Morales, a student at Georgia Tech, faced numerous challenges with the new FAFSA system.
- The Better FAFSA system has glitches, especially for parents without social security numbers.
- Watch the story to hear how a woman from Cairo overcame challenges filing for financial aid.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
We all have seemingly endless memories when it comes to time spent on college campuses. However, students with immigrant parents are spending more time in lines at the financial aid office after a change in this year's aid application.
“ It was just really scary. I remember after class every day I would go to the financial aid office and try to get help,” said Michelle Morales, a student attending Georgia Institute of Technology. They tried their best to help me but there wasn't much they could do."
Morales began her senior year at Georgia Institute of Technology this fall.
She's studying biomedical engineering.
Morales credits her smarts to earning several scholarships which equated to a full ride at Georgia Tech.
But accessing that aid has been an uphill battle.
"The system changed this year. Like they changed it completely. They made it hard for people with immigrant parents to file for FAFSA,” according to Morales.
The U.S. Department of Education's new FAFSA form for the 2024-2025 aid year known as "Better FAFSA" has seen delays in the system.
"The FAFSA glitches. There's a questionnaire on the FAFSA where it [states] if your parents don't have a social security number follow these steps. But those steps never work for me,” said Morales.
People like the director of financial aid for Southern Regional Technical College, Amy Scoggins said the new method automatically links the application to the IRS's website but students and parents must consent to this action.
To consent parents must verify their identity.
Morales ultimately found a way to move beyond the new system's glitches.
" I just kept trying over and over again,” said Morales.
A recent high school graduate said due to the complications of completing a FAFSA she's put her plan of attending trade school on hold.
Right now a parent must create their own account on studentaid.gov and verify phone number, email address, and identity.
But for those like Emily Vega's mother who are not comfortable with computers –
"She didn't know what she had to do,” said Vega.
Morales took to Facebook offering to help others with immigrant parents to complete their financial aid forms free of charge.
"Cairo is a very small community and it's very tight-knit. And they've always just been there for me,” said Vega.
Vega has already reached out to Morales for help so she can pursue her dreams of becoming a cosmetologist after attending Southern Regional Technical College.
"Now that I've found Michelle to help me out with it. I don't have to feel stressed anymore,” said Vega.
Parents and students are asked to partner with your school's financial aid office if verification questions come up.
Next year's FAFSA application opens on December 1.
