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Maine's public universities to begin issuing estimated financial award letters, despite federal delays

Technical difficulties and monthslong delays in the rollout of a revamped FAFSA have led Maine's public universities to develop a model in the meantime.

ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine System announced Tuesday that Maine's public universities will start sending financial aid award letters on March 1 to students who have applied for fall admission.

The announcement comes despite several delays and technical challenges for the revamped version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which helps the federal government determine eligibility for federal financial aid, including student loans, Pell grants, and federal work-study programs.

The U.S. Department of Education recently overhauled FAFSA for the first time in 40 years with the goal to make it easier for students and families and expand access to aid. 

But there have been a few technical difficulties in its rollout, causing monthslong delays in providing institutions the information they need for financial aid awards.

“Just everything has been pushed back," Connie Smith, the executive director of financial aid at the University of Maine, told NEWS CENTER Maine. "On a normal year, FAFSA would be available Oct. 1. We would have our financial offers out by end of November, beginning of December. And now we’re talking about a three- to four-month delay.”  

That delay impacts students' decisions, from the number of classes they can afford to deciding which school has a better aid package to whether college is affordable at all in the fall. 

“I’ve actually sat down with families to do FAFSA forms, and I’ve had students tell me, ‘I can’t go to college until I know what I’m receiving for financial aid.’ It’s that simple," Smith said. "That resonates with me, and it makes me say, ‘OK, we have to do everything we possibly can to mitigate the situation and make it easier for students and families to come to some sort of a decision.'”

UMS officials said its universities have worked together to develop a predictive financial aid eligibility model that can be used to create an estimated financial aid package that includes need-based and merit aid upon student request. Those estimates will be verified against the actual FAFSA data when the federal government eventually provides it, UMS officials said Tuesday in a release.

All prospective UMS students have been notified of their ability to request an estimated financial aid letter, the release stated.

“If you haven’t been able to complete your FAFSA, keep trying. Don’t give up. Don’t get frustrated. There is help out there. All of our colleges are more than willing to help students and families through that process if they need it," Smith emphasized. "'This too shall pass.' We will get through it. And I will be honest with you, when we get to the other side, we will have a better FAFSA.”

According to the most recent UMS data, 86% of all degree-seeking undergraduate students were awarded some form of financial aid, which is typically dependent on FAFSA completion, according to the release.  The system’s publicly available student financial aid report is online here.

"We encourage prospective students to request their estimated financial aid award immediately so we can let them know how affordable and accessible their high-quality University of Maine System education will likely be," UMS Chancellor Dannel Malloy said in the release.

Maine’s public universities have not yet pushed back application or deposit deadlines. While May 1 is known as National College Decision Day, as part of a commitment to access, most UMS institutions accept applications and deposits after that date on a rolling basis. 

For more information, including deadlines, UMS officials said people should visit individual university admissions sites:

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