Like in the financial aid department, the changes made to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) have also greatly affected the admissions department.
Vice President for Enrollment Management, Amy Tiberio said, “this year has been unprecedented because the FAFSA rollout was such a disaster.”
In years prior, Tiberio said Roger Williams University typically was able to send out financial aid packages within days of a student’s acceptance notification, giving RWU a competitive advantage over other colleges. However, this year, they were not able to do so.
The delay in financial aid also caused RWU to extend their deposit deadline to June 1 because financial aid is a large determining factor for prospective students choosing colleges.
Tiberio said the decision to extend the deposit deadline has, “been very helpful because families are already stressed out about the process and they don’t want to feel rushed to make such an important decision. It has also been very much appreciated by school counselors.”
Because the deposit deadline has been extended, Tiberio said the admissions department cannot compare year to date deposits because of the rate in which prospective students are receiving financial aid information from all of their possible institutions to make an informed decision.
However, according to Tiberio, there has been a decrease of 30% in FAFSA admissions nationwide from low-income and first generation students which she believes to be very concerning.
“I hope that the process is smooth next year and that the shortened form helps more families successfully complete the aid process,” concluded Tiberio.
