The 2025-26 FAFSA form officially opened for all students on Nov. 21, hopefully having resolved some issues that occurred last year following an almost two-month long beta test.
Following last year’s ‘FAFSA fiasco,’ the U.S. Department of Education opened a beta release for FAFSA on Oct. 1 hoping to remedy last year’s complications, including difficulties transferring information and incorrect computer calculations.
UCCS was not a part of the beta test due to staffing issues. When the Department of Education announced the beta test and their need for testers, the office for enrollment management and financial aid were understaffed and could not manage a new project.
Reflecting on the FAFSA process last year, Jevita Rogers, the assistant vice chancellor for Enrollment Management and Financial Aid, hopes the form, set-up and process of information transfer are improved.
She noted that last year there were several issues including parents not receiving emails to complete the FAFSA form as a contributor, parents not being able to match their account to their SSN and parents without SSNs being unable to complete an alternative application.
Additionally, many colleges received applications that were either missing a Student Aid Index number or were assigned an incorrect one, according to Rogers.
SAI numbers are used to determine a student’s financial eligibility for federal loans, grants and scholarships based on financial need. Without an accurate SAI, financial assistance was delayed until universities were able to manually determine the student’s eligibility.
Rogers also noted that universities lost the ability to electronically make changes to a student’s FAFSA form in the event they make a mistake. Up until this year, they could make corrections through the computer system, but now they must contact the Department of Education through their website and wait for a new form to be sent.
According to Rogers, the Department of Education released the expanded beta testing phase in response to these issues. By conducting a beta test, the Department of Education’s staff could process some forms early and detect any issues before the forms need to be sent to schools.
The beta test is also expected to decrease the number of students expected to enroll now that the form is officially open, which should help servers remain stable.
In light of these past issues, Rogers is hosting a workshop about UCCS’ scholarship application on Dec. 5 from 3-4 p.m. in the MOSAIC lounge. Students can also reach out to the Financial Aid office via email at [email protected] or phone call at 719-253-4600 for help with filling out the FAFSA. Students can also make an appointment or attend a walk-in appointment from Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Federal Student Aid.