There is a workaround for some college applicants stymied by the chaotic rollout of a newly designed federal student aid form.
The FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is extremely important for many students looking to afford college. The US Department of Education's goal in reforming the process was to make it simpler, but the new system was plagued by delays and glitches. Among the most affected are low-income families where a parent or student does not have a Social Security number.
But on Tuesday, the California Student Aid Commission provided welcome news, announcing that it will offer an alternative financial aid application option for students who are U.S. citizens but have at least one parent without a Social Security number.
These students can use the California Dream Act application to apply for financial aid to attend a community college at the University of California, California State, or California.
Although the Ministry of Education said these issues had been resolved for students from immigrant families, some continued to face problems. Students have until May 2 to complete the Dream Act application.
The application workaround represents another attempt by the state to alleviate what has become a long-term nightmare for students who rely on financial aid to attend college.
All California students have been given an additional month to apply for state financial aid. The deadline for Cal Grants and other government aid programs — which collectively distribute more than $2.3 billion — will be pushed back to May 2 under legislation that took effect last month.
Smith is a reporter for EdSource, a nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism organization covering education in California. Times staff writers Howard Bloom and Teresa Watanabe contributed to this report.
