Photo by Arizona State University | Photo via Flickr
More than 90,000 college students in Arizona have at least one undocumented parent , and sweeping changes to federal student aid policy are leaving many of them unable to complete applications that are critical to their ability to pay for school.
The rollout of the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid has been plagued with delays and mistakes as the U.S. Department of Education enacts updates to make the form easier to fill out and increase the number of students who can access federal help.
The application determines a student’s income eligibility for a bevy of grants, scholarships, loans and work-study programs. For many students, it can mean the difference between enrolling in college or deciding not to.
Nineteen-year-old Xiomara Flores was looking forward to becoming an Arizona State Sun Devil in the fall and beginning work on a biomedical sciences or business degree, with designs on a career either as a physician’s assistant or in business management.