The Education Department sent a letter this week imploring colleges and universities not to make any changes to their financial aid deadlines, despite the earlier availability of the federal government’s application for grants and loans.
Schools that offer scholarships from a limited pool of funds set dates for when they would prefer to receive applications for aid. Many use the deadline to prompt students to apply and to determine the amount of money needed. Although the deadline is not necessarily a hard cutoff for aid, the earlier students apply the better their chances. Most schools set the deadline in early March, but a handful are considering moving it up to meet the department’s request that colleges provide earlier award notifications to students who take advantage of the availability of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid in October.
The trouble is, setting earlier deadlines for school aid could disadvantage low-income students and those who are the first in their families to attend college, a population that often has the least amount of information and support through the college application process, Education Undersecretary Ted Mitchell wrote in the letter.
Read more at The Washington Post:https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/08/09/feds-plead-with-colleges-not-to-move-up-their-financial-aid-deadlines/