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Illinois highschool seniors wouldn’t be required to fill out the Free Software for Federal Pupil Assist, referred to as FAFSA, with the intention to graduate, underneath a brand new invoice transferring by means of the state legislature.
State legislation has required college students to finish the FAFSA with the intention to graduate from highschool because the starting of the 2020-21 faculty yr. College students not planning to go to varsity may fill out a waiver. However now, a proposal within the Senate would waive the requirement completely for the present faculty yr.
The proposal by state Sen. Dan McConchie, a Republican lawmaker representing northwest suburbs, comes months after the rocky rollout of the federal authorities’s “Higher FAFSA”, which confronted a number of challenges together with a later opening date and technical points that induced delays and uncertainty for college-bound college students.
The FAFSA permits highschool college students to find out how a lot cash — grants, federal scholar loans, or work-study funds — they could obtain from the federal authorities. States, schools, and universities additionally use the FAFSA to supply scholarships or grants to college students. In Illinois, it additionally serves as the applying for the state’s Financial Help Program, or MAP grant, for college students from low-income households.
The federal authorities rolled out a simplified model of the FAFSA, referred to as the Higher FAFSA, in late December after months of delay. The shape is normally launched in October. The brand new utility is shorter, going from 100 questions to twenty.
College students who’ve undocumented dad and mom have been among the many teams impacted by the glitches, as the applying initially required college students to make use of their dad and mom’ Social Safety numbers. The difficulty was later resolved in March, however left many college students scrambling to finish the applying.
The Illinois State Board of Schooling, together with the Illinois Pupil Help Fee, introduced in April that top colleges and districts may implement “administrative waivers” for college students this yr. In a weekly message on Tuesday, State Superintendent Tony Sanders requested colleges to encourage college students to fill out the applying if potential.
“So many college students don’t go to varsity or commerce faculty as a result of they assume they can not afford it, with out truly realizing how a lot assist they may qualify to obtain,” mentioned Sanders.
Through the Senate training listening to Tuesday, McConchie mentioned despite the fact that the state board mentioned colleges may present waivers, his invoice would “alleviate the executive burden” positioned on colleges.
Some lawmakers raised considerations about McConchie’s proposal. Sen. Doris Turner, a Democrat representing Springfield, Decatur, and different cities in southern Illinois, was involved that the invoice would create confusion and trigger steering counselors or directors to inform college students that they don’t have to fill out the applying.
McConchie mentioned the invoice would solely waive the commencement requirement for a yr because the federal authorities continues to work out points with the system.
McConchie’s proposal handed the Senate Schooling committee by a 10-0 vote.
Some schools and universities have pushed again their enrollment deadlines for fall 2024 as a result of they weren’t capable of ship out monetary assist letters to college students earlier within the yr, based on the Nationwide Affiliation for Faculty Admission Counseling. Faculty resolution day is historically Might 1.
Samantha Smylie is the state training reporter for Chalkbeat Chicago protecting faculty districts throughout the state, laws, particular training and the state board of training. Contact Samantha at ssmylie@chalkbeat.org.
