In an email sent to affected MSU students, the Financial Aid office stated the U.S. Department of Education told schools that administer federal financial aid such as Pell Grants, including Michigan State University, corrections for the 2024-25 FAFSA could not be submitted to financial aid offices until the first half of August.

The email, sent on June 24, said this issue affects a small number of MSU students. 

As of 2023, 61.6% of MSU’s undergraduate students completed FAFSA, according to the MSU’s State Transparency Report.

The State News reported in February that many FAFSA recipients had to wait until April for financial aid following a delay. The delay was to fix a $1.8 billion mistake that overestimated the annual income of low-income students' households, resulting in earning less in financial aid packages. 

“It is possible that corrections may not be processed before bills are due for Fall semester 2024, meaning that actual aid would not be applied to your account in time to pay your bill,” the email stated.

The email further explains MSU will protect students waiting for corrections from any administrative penalties such as late fees or disenrollment.

The Office of Financial Aid stated the push for delays in sending FAFSA corrections came from the direction of the U.S. Department of Education, not the MSU administration.

Chad Sanders, communication manager for the Office of Financial Aid, said the office will be protecting students from late fees and disenrollment if the students' full balance is not paid by the due date, flagging the accounts to monitor with unsubmitted FAFSA corrections and removing holds. 

“The Office of Financial Aid and Student Accounts are working together to ensure to protect students affected by this delay from any harm,” Sanders said. 

In the unlikely event that MSU is still unable to submit FAFSA corrections, another email will be sent out to those students who are having issues with financial aid not being applied to their account, the representative said. 

With the fall semester bill being due in mid-August, students have time to think about other options for financial aid, whether it is a parent-plus loan, privately-owned bank loan or student loan from the federal government, according to the representative.

Sanders said the issue is due to the newly revamped and revised 2024-25 FAFSA form.

Earlier this year the U.S. Department of Education redesigned and simplified FAFSA applications for the 2024-2025 school year to require fewer questions in order to ease the process for students without parental help.

“While the vast majority of issues that plagued the FAFSA has been resolved at this point, families waiting for the processing of certain types of corrections are still waiting to see their financial aid packages finalized," Sanders said. 

Any students who are currently dealing with delays are encouraged to contact the Office of Financial Aid for additional help and updates.