EUGENE, Ore. — Due to a nationwide delay of FAFSA data to colleges, the University of Oregon announced Wednesday that they are extending the deadline to accept offers of admission to a month later.
The college said that June 1, 2024 — instead of May 1 — will be the new date for first-year students admitted for fall 2024. It also announced it would extend the priority FAFSA filing deadline to April 1, 2024, for all University of Oregon students.
“We understand that the changing federal financial aid process has been extremely challenging for all prospective college students across the country,” said Roger Thompson, the vice president for Student Services and Enrollment Management, in a press release. “While all of us, students, families, colleges and universities face some uncertainty at this time, we want to assure our admitted students that we are here to provide as much guidance and support as possible.”
The later-than-expected rollout of a revised Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly known as FAFSA, has caused some students and families to delay making a commitment until they know their financial aid packages.
Problems began with the new FAFSA application rollout last fall; the Education Department said the form would be easier for parents to fill out and used a new formula to compute eligibility for aid that took inflation into account. However, it wasn't ready in October when the forms for the coming school year are usually released. During a soft launch in December, it was difficult for many people to access the form, and the initial release didn't include the updated inflation tool.
The University of Oregon said its move will allow extra time for students to make their college decisions. The college added that staff will help students and families during admitted students' events and programs this spring.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Education said that nearly 4 million FAFSA forms have been successfully submitted as of Feb. 13. The agency also promised new steps to make it easier for schools to process records, including reducing verification requirements and halting routine compliance reviews through June 2024.