Arizona college students fear Education Department layoffs could impact student aid
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — College is already a stressful time for students, and now there’s another hurdle they could soon face: the Trump Administration’s cuts to the U.S. Department of Education.
Arizona State University is the most expensive public university in the state, but it’s also one the schools that gives out the most financial aid.
Some students on campus say that without the financial support, some of their peers won’t be able to return to class next semester.
“There’s a lot of stress going around about people who no longer are going to be able to come back next semester, or at least are afraid that they won’t be able to come back next semester,” said student Sarah McCartan.
It comes after more than 300 people were let go from the Office of Federal Student Aid, a division that manages the federal student loan portfolio. Within hours of those layoffs, access to the online Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) went out.
“That happened for almost 24 hours where nobody could access the form. Nobody could submit the form. So that was kind of I think, a decent hint at what was likely to be more impacts,” said Matt Carpenter, educational consultant and founder at College Aid Pro.
It’s a change that’s giving educational consultant Matt Carpenter a bit of déjà vu after experiencing issues with FAFSA last year. “Kept getting delayed and so many families had such a hard time completing the form itself that, as a matter of fact, so many of meaningful percentages gave up,” he said.
It’s a real concern for Niabari Nwinee, a freshman studying computer science.
“My family, they were refugees from Nigeria,” she said. “I’m the first generation to be starting college in my family, so that’s a pretty big impact.”
Like 130,600 other Arizona college students, she received federal grants last school year. However, FAFSA is not only for need-based grants. A third of Arizona’s undergraduates who receive federal student loans must also fill out the application.
“I honestly feel like without the FAFSA application that wouldn’t have been able to been going to college or any or to ASU as a whole,” she said.
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