Students have 'options' as FAFSA problems continue

MCALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The National College Attainment Network reports the number of high school students who completed the free application for federal student aid dropped 9% nationwide.

They believe this is due to the application's new format which is making it difficult for students to fill out.

Although enrollment numbers have not dropped in the Rio Grande Valley, one institution tells us they are seeing more errors in FAFSA applications.

Classes at South Texas College have been back in session for a little more than a week and officials there say some students are still trying to fix financial aid forms to pay for school.

Rebecca Cano works at the financial aid office at STC and they get hundreds of applications each day and many require corrections or changes that can take up to three days to process.

“Sometimes is on the student end where they're making corrections," Cano said. "The FAFSA is a little unfamiliar. Some of the questions have changed, so some of the data they're entering sometimes is incorrect. So they're corrections that the students have to make. And so that's what we're finding. It's just general errors sometimes students are committing.”

Cano says these problems are attributed to the FAFSA application's new format that requires returning students to fill out a whole new form.

Cano says those experiencing problems have options.

“We are offering our students help with payment plans until their FAFSA issues are resolved," she added. "And if the student is eligible, then they get that money reimbursed, whatever money they paid out of pocket.”

Cano says students still have time to make corrections and the college is offering extended hours for students who may need help.