PA Department of Education issues FAFSA application reminder

Jalen Rhodes
·2 min read

EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) — The Shapiro Administration releases a statement reminding students and families to sign up for student aid during FASFA week of action.

According to the release, FAFSA Action Week is to raise awareness and encourage people to complete their FAFSA forms.

“The biggest barrier to entry for many of Pennsylvania’s current or prospective postsecondary students is cost, and despite resources such as the FAFSA and other sources of financial aid, too many students are forced to defer college or not attend at all,” said PDE Secretary Dr. Khalid N. Mumin.

FAFSA Action Week encourages stakeholders to commit to hosting an in-person or virtual FAFSA Week of Action FAFSA submission event, emailing, texting, or sending push notifications with information about the Better FAFSA and how to submit the form, as explained by the National College Attainment network.

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The completion of FASFA is at a “crisis low” due to delays, subsequent processing, and data errors, as noted in the release.

This is an emergency for PA’s higher education sector, students, and the state economy because:

  • High school senior completions are down close to 23% from this time last year.

  • FAFSA submission does not equal completion. Many students must also make corrections in order to get their financial aid;

  • Further drops in enrollment could be devastating and force closures for more PA colleges and universities; and

  • PA’s workforce sector currently faces a workforce shortage in addition to the disinvestment and decentralized higher education sector. We need 61,000 more people with the right college degrees or credentials to fill open jobs. If nothing is done, estimates show that the talent gap will increase to at least 218,000 unfilled jobs within just a decade.

For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Education, please visit the website.

The deadline for individuals to apply for FASFA for 2024-2025 is on June 30 at 11:59 p.m. Central time, which is 12:59 p.m. Eastern time.

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