The U.S. Department of Education significantly overhauled the FAFSA form this year making it shorter and simpler for students, but the rollout has caused delays of five to six months. To help alleviate some of the uncertainties, East Stroudsburg University is proactively reaching out to admitted students with financial aid estimates.<\/p>\n
Dr. Lorna Hunter, ESU\u2019s vice president for enrollment management said, \u201cWe are reaching out to all admitted students via email letting them know that we can provide an estimated financial aid notification letter.\u201d The email includes a link that opens to a short form prepopulated with the student\u2019s name and identification number. Students are required to provide their Student Aid Index (SAI) they were given when they completed the FAFSA.<\/p>\n
ESU\u2019s financial aid team calculates the Estimated Financial Aid Notification for each student that submits the form. Then an email is sent back to students letting them know their estimate is ready to be viewed on our secure student portal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe began reaching out to admitted students last week and have already seen a positive response,\u201d Dr. Hunter said. \u201cWith the new FASFA form causing major delays this year, we want to help prospective students get as much information as they can so they can begin to plan the next steps of their college journey.\u201d<\/p>\n
Higher education institutions, including ESU, use the data to determine the amount of financial aid to offer students. Filing the FAFSA online helps determine if a student qualifies for a Federal Pell Grant, the PA State Grant, scholarships provided by universities and federal student loans.<\/p>\n