LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The clock is ticking for Las Vegas high school seniors to make decisions on the colleges they’ll attend next year. However, the problem is students still don’t know how much it’ll cost.
The backup started last year when the Department of Education decided to overhaul the free application process for financial aid or FAFSA. Typically, the portal opens up on October 1. However, last year, the application opened in late December.
The form was overhauled to make the process simpler. But instead, it caused technical glitches and delays.
Adding to the headaches, the Department of Education announced last week there was a calculation error on hundreds of thousands of applications.
National College Decision Day is May 1. Typically, by March, students know how much their college tuition will be but it’s not the case this school year.
Coronado High School senior Jonas Cunanan plans to attend the University of Michigan next year. She applied for FAFSA in January but it was just processed last week.
“[The] University of Michigan still hasn’t received my FAFSA,” Cunanan said. “The financial aid deadline is this Sunday so I have no idea if I’m getting any financial aid from them.”
Cunanan said UM also hasn’t extended the college decision deadline.
Here at home, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas is working around the financial backup and helping prospective students through the unprecedented delay.
“We created our own version, so to speak,” said Zachary Goodwin, the Executive Director of the UNLV financial aid and scholarship office. “We’ve helped about 3,000 prospective first-year students.”
Goodwin said this school year, UNLV launched the institutional aid application, which gives incoming students projections of what their financial aid awards will look like.
Although numbers are not final, soon-to-be Rebels like Ravin Austin said it helped lock in a decision.
“I was grateful for that,” Austin said. “I don’t care about prestige. For me, it all comes down to financial aid.”
Goodwin tells Channel 13 there is also concern college enrollment numbers may be lower than in the past. However, he said this is a concern higher education institutions all across the nation are facing.
While UNLV is working on being flexible with deadlines, it’s not the case at all universities.
Students like Cunanan, who said UM is a top choice, remain in limbo.
“If I don’t get any aid from them, I’m not really sure I’m willing to take out $60,000 in loans,” Cunanan said.
