Colorado State and University of Colorado Boulder, the two largest universities in the state, have pushed the deadline for students to confirm their fall 2024 enrollment to June 1. The U.S. Department of Education switched to a new application system for the free application for financial aid (FAFSA) this year, but the rollout has been anything but consistent.
"The federal government pushed the actual application deadline from October to December 31st," said Chalkbeat Colorado Reporter Jason Gonzalez. "When the new application process finally opened, it was a pretty glitchy rollout. A lot of people couldn't actually access it."
RGonzalez joined KUNC's Michael Lyle on Wednesday to discuss the issues surrounding the new system and how it could impact the admissions process for both institutions.
U.S. Department of Education datashows that about 17 million students nationwide fill out the FAFSA form. That number is currently near five million due to the delays.
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Gonzalez said the delay shouldn't impact CSU and CU's application process, but it could impact students making their plans for the start of the fall semester.
"When students are signing up for orientation or trying to register for classes, getting thier housing done, it becomes a tight window," said Gonzalez.
For any student seeking to gain admission into schools like CSU and CU Boulder, the decision process is highly competitive.
"They have a more competitive pool, " said Gonzalez. "Some schools also have a little bit more flexibility in terms of when those application deadlines come in."
Gonzalez said the federal government has been working to resolve the issue and should have it resolved by March 15.
