The director of student financial aid at San Diego City College, Wendy Wang, was fairly positive about the changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), despite the disruption it caused to the California State Universities commitment deadline.

Wang is adamant the new system is better as the form is simplified and it’s faster.

Most students are done in under 10 minutes, she said. 

“It’s called, Better FAFSA, and it is better,” Wang said. “Very honestly, it’s very easy.”

One of the adjustments made was to account for inflation, so even if your income is the same or more as last year’s you may get more money.

FAFSA does not have an income limit. For this reason, Wang recommends that everyone should apply.

“It was really easy,” Jazmine Soto Olivares, a student worker at the financial aid office, said.  “I completed my FAFSA application in under five minutes.”

As reported by City Times, as of December, City College needed 30% more students to fill out FAFSA applications in order to secure its full state-sourced supplemental funding.

One of the biggest issues plaguing FAFSA lies with those whose contributors (a parent, step-parent, spouse, or anyone else who is required to provide information) do not have a Social Security number. 

That number is now required to receive your Federal Student Aid Identification (FSA ID) and complete the application. Those without it must contact the helpline or use the live chat feature to open a ticket and answer personal questions to verify their identity. 

Wang also warned that once you complete the FAFSA application and have submitted it you will not be able to change the information shared until March. That includes the colleges to which you are applying. 

Since you can apply to up to 20, she recommends including every college you are considering. 

“If there is potentially a one percent chance you might go, you might as well apply,” Wang advised.

Some of the CSU schools pushed back their commitment deadlines from May 1 to May 15 due to the FAFSA delays. 

“It gives plenty of time for the schools to implement the new system,” Wang said. “Everything is new, so it’s a win-win situation.”

FASFA’s final deadline is June 30 although it is recommended that you enroll as early as possible as some of the financial aid is awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Students with questions can sign up for the Financial Aide Office’s FAFSA workshop FAFSA Workshop registration page. The workshop runs Friday, Mar. 22.