'A lot of anxiety:' Many immigrant families in Arizona can't submit key college aid form
When 19-year-old Britney Vera opens up her student account, she’s faced with the full bill for her next semester at Arizona State University.
About $15,000 in total.
At this point in the year, she shouldn’t have any balance listed at all. Between her scholarships, Vera doesn't have to pay anything out of pocket.
But she has yet to file her federal aid application this year, meaning she’s still without scholarship money that would normally be coming in. It stems from an issue in this year’s application preventing students with parents who do not have a social security number from submitting.
A long-term fix isn’t expected until later this month, the federal government said. That's left between 10,000 to 15,000 Arizona students in limbo, according to estimates from education experts.
While Vera’s scholarship program at ASU was among many in the state to extend its deadline, Vera said the difficulties from the federal application still feel like a slap in the face. Like many students, she relies on financial aid to continue her education.
“It’s just a lot of anxiety and a lot of mixed feelings,” Vera said.
The headaches are compounding on top of already low FAFSA completion rates. Experts worry the issue creates more hurdles for students from "mixed-status" families — American citizens with one or more immigrant parents. While lawfully admitted noncitizens aren't automatically given social security numbers, many without them are undocumented immigrants.
“They feel like they're second-class citizens and this is a reminder of it,” said José Patiño, vice president of education for Aliento, a local advocacy group. “It just makes their educational journey harder than it needs to be.”
Promised FAFSA revamp misses the mark
The U.S. Department of Education touted its new FAFSA application's simplified process late last year, making it easier for students and their families to apply for federal aid as fewer students seek higher education.
But what followed was far from it.
Students were instead hit with months-long delays and an application that wasn’t adjusted for inflation. Since then, the department has tackled issues on its website by releasing workarounds and other help. Still, the department missed its original goal of getting important data to universities by multiple months, now saying it will start sharing those in March.
“Usually, it’s a very easy process,” Vera said of her past FAFSA experiences.
The Arizona Board of Regents discussed the federal issues at its meeting last month, highlighting available resources for students on its website and through college and high school counselors. But the roadblocks preventing mixed-status families and other groups from filling out the FAFSA are largely out of their hands.
Julie Sainz, the director of FAFSA and College Access Initiatives with the board, said they're prioritizing the push for FAFSA completion, citing its significance in raising college enrollment rates in Arizona. Less than half of high school graduates in the state went on to pursue education past high school in 2022.
“The remainder of the spring semester and during summer is really going to be a crucial time to make sure we’re still providing those services to students,” Sainz said of additional support for families.
Issues stack up with FAFSA completion
The issues mixed-status families are experiencing aren't the only ones affecting the application. Sainz said students from a variety of backgrounds are still working through glitches.
According to data from the Board of Regents, 16,996 Arizona high school seniors have filled out their FAFSA as of mid-February. That’s a drop of more than 40% compared to the same time last year, putting Arizona in 49th place nationally for FAFSA completion.
Advocacy groups have for years pushed for higher FAFSA completion rates, but they said this year needs extra attention to prevent adverse effects down the road.
While the Board of Regents and the state’s three public universities have all extended their priority deadlines for the application, those involved fear some students may miss other scholarship deadlines because others were not aware of the roadblocks.
“I think this is going to be one of those years where a lot of opportunities are not going to be taken,” Patiño said.
He added he has yet to see a student with an undocumented parent successfully fill out the application. Aliento serves students across the state who come from such families, or are DACA recipients.
While the Education Department has unveiled a “workaround” for students with parents without a social security number — the Board of Regents does not recommend students use it unless necessary to meet a certain deadline. Students will still need to correct the form later if they use the workaround.
Experts hope to mitigate long-term impact
This year's issues may contribute to a loss of trust in higher education among immigrant families, says Patiño.
He wants to make sure students and their families don't expect headaches like this to continue next year. He said ample communication will help going forward.
Many advocates are afraid of possible declines in college enrollment as a result of these issues, said Vince Yanez with the Helios Education Foundation. He said this will make it even more critical for education groups to continue working closely with students as the issue gets solved.
"Any little barrier in the college-going process generally has impacts on how many students ultimately end up enrolling and going to college," Yanez said.
For Vera, she fears the impact the mishap could have on younger students still considering their college education. She pointed to her younger sister attempting to weigh the pros and cons of college without knowing how much aid she would get.
“At that time, I was already set for my future goals,” Vera said.
Patiño recommends students coming from mixed-status families seek out a trusted teacher or official for help as the Department of Education prepares to correct the application. While it can be difficult for some students coming from families with one or more undocumented immigrants to speak up, Patiño said there are people available to help.
“If nobody knows that you're struggling, they won't be able to help you,” Patiño said.
Students from mixed-status families can get help with their application through Aliento's website at www.alientoaz.org/fafsa.
Helen Rummel covers higher education for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at hrummel@azcentral.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @helenrummel.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: FAFSA issues prevent many immigrant families in Arizona from applying for aid
