FAFSA Delays

What you need to know: FAFSA Simplification Act and timeline

Due to the U.S. Department of Education’s troubled implementation of the FAFSA Simplification Act, colleges and universities across America, Drake included, did not begin receiving 2024–2025 FAFSAs until mid-March—over six months later than previous years. Additionally, nearly half of these FAFSAs were impacted by federal errors or were rejected due to missing consent or signature for the student or FAFSA contributor(s). The Department of Education’s many late revisions to FAFSA technical specifications left software providers (and the schools that rely on them) scrambling to adjust.

The good news is that things are getting better. In the last couple of weeks, the Department of Education has:

• Provided schools with a list of the FAFSAs that were impacted by federal errors, providing a measure of confidence to schools about which FAFSAs are accurate.
• Made FAFSA corrections available, allowing students and FAFSA contributors to provide missing consent and signatures.
• Began reprocessing some of the FAFSA records that were affected by federal errors.

Challenges remain. The Department of Education has announced that FAFSAs affected by inconsistent IRS data will not begin to be reprocessed until the beginning of May. Schools still cannot make changes to students’ FAFSAs, which are needed to correct known errors or to process appeals for special or unusual circumstances. No timeline for that functionality has yet been provided by the Department of Education.

Drake’s Financial Aid Office has been creating financial aid offers as quickly as possible, starting with FAFSAs that were processed accurately. We recognize the hardship and frustration these delays have caused, and we are committing all available resources to make up for lost time. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate these unprecedented challenges together.

Drake is committed to providing accurate financial aid offers and the flexibility that you need to make an informed college decision. Here is what you need to know:

• Drake extended its Admissions deposit date to June 1, 2024, to give students and their families the time they need to make their college decision.
• We promise to do everything in our power to provide an accurate financial aid offer as quickly as possible. To expedite delivery, financial aid offers will be emailed to the email on file for the student.
• If you need to make changes to your application, visit the Federal Student Aid website for guidance on how to make corrections.

• To ensure you and your family feel confident about committing to Drake, we will refund the $250 enrollment deposit, up to June 1, should your college plans change after committing.
• Drake is offering a virtual event called "Unpacking Your Financial Aid" which covers the details in a financial aid package and how to understand the different types of aid. This session is helpful to all admitted families, whether you have received your financial aid package, or it is still on the way. We strongly encourage you and your family to attend this hour-long live Zoom event on April 29 at 6:00 PM CST. Students can register for this event here and family members can register here.
• Drake’s Admission Counselors are equipped to answer most financial aid questions and will provide the quickest response while the Financial Aid staff focuses on preparing financial aid offers. Please contact your Admission Counselor if you have any questions about your financial aid package.

Most importantly, we want all our students and families to know that we are working diligently to expedite and send out financial aid packages. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate this process to make it as smooth and stress-free as possible.