The college decision process is rarely easy for high school seniors. But, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year\u2019s graduates are enduring challenges faced by no class before them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Carlos, a high school senior from Westchester County, New York, is one of the many students impacted by the pandemic. COVID-19 has slowed down his father\u2019s business, affecting his family\u2019s financial situation. As a result, he\u2019s been forced to rethink where he\u2019ll be going to school in the fall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMoney is more of a factor now than before,\u201d Carlos said. \u201cThe schools that I got into that are giving me less money are going lower on the list of possibilities for me. The schools that gave me the most money, right now, are my top choices. I feel like I have fewer options.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Carlos is not alone. All across the United States, COVID-19 has caused high school seniors to forgo attending their dream schools in exchange for something that is cheaper and closer to home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ten percent of high school seniors who had planned to go to a four-year college before the COVID-19 outbreak said they\u2019re likely to change their path because of the pandemic. Four percent said they are very likely to do so, and another 10 percent said it’s too early to say, according to a recent SimpsonScarborough survey<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many students who were already relying on financial aid to pay for college filled out FAFSAs months ago to see how much aid they could receive. FAFSAs now require students to submit their respective family\u2019s tax information from two years prior. Those who filled out FAFSAs for the 2020-21 school year, for instance, would be including tax information from 2018. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But a lot can change in two years. Throwing in the economic turmoil caused by COVID-19, many students’ current financial situations don\u2019t accurately reflect those shown in their FAFSAs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Understanding this, a growing number of institutions are actively working with admitted students to determine if they\u2019re eligible for additional aid. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The University of Central Florida (UCF) is directing students who’ve experienced a significant change in income towards a pre-existing platform that allows families to submit requests to have their aid re-evaluated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe will do everything in our power to review those requests in a timely fashion so that students can have that information to make an informed decision about whether or not this is a place that they can afford to attend,\u201d said Gordon Chavis<\/a>, UCF\u2019s associate vice president of enrollment services. \u201cBut this is just so fluid, everybody\u2019s situation is going to be different, so we have to review those on a case by case basis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ohio University is allowing applicants to request and fill out a change of income form so that they know how much aid they could receive before deciding to enroll. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And the University of Nebraska has just expanded its free tuition<\/a> program to Nebraska students whose family makes $60,000 or less, effective fall 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Other institutions, including those in the University of California system, offer financial aid calculators on their websites to help students determine whether the recent changes to their respective family\u2019s income could increase their financial aid package. The UC campuses, however, won\u2019t be working with families to review their financial aid eligibility until summer, after the date by which students must commit to enrollment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While not every institution is publicizing such opportunities, schools do have the ability to change how much each family will have to pay. Students should reach out to their schools and file a financial appeal letter<\/a> if needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe biggest thing that I try to teach (students), now more than ever, is advocacy and how much they need to be advocating for themselves. They need to be calling these universities and be honest and vulnerable about their financial situations right now,\u201d said Jobrina Perez, a Texas-based adviser for College Advising Corps, an organization that helps high-need students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To help grant students the aid they need, colleges and universities could draw from the $7 billion in emergency grant aid awarded to them through the CARES act. But it’s still uncertain if that $7 billion will be enough to meet all needs, given the amount of students who will likely be requesting more monetary help. <\/p>\n\n\n\n