For incoming college students across the country who have been awaiting news about financial aid because of delays in the U.S. Department of Education’s process, the wait is finally ending.
Rutgers has received, and is testing, the student information it received from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms, a critical element of the process the university undertakes to finalize financial aid packages for students. Rutgers is tentatively aiming for an early May release of aid packages, including offered grants, scholarships and federal loans.
The release will follow the February 23 communication regarding new-student honors and merit scholarships. As part of its commitment to access and affordability and to providing financial services and education to support students and families, Rutgers took extra steps to help alleviate any financial aid-related uncertainty for incoming students.
First, the university extended its FAFSA 2024-25 priority deadline to March 15, which gave students and families more time to apply for financial aid to ensure the university received all data required to make financial awards. Rutgers then moved the deadline for students to commit to fall enrollment from May 1 to June 1 so they could make an informed decision about where to attend.
And with the planned early May release of financial aid packages, the university will be lifting a significant amount of uncertainty from the shoulders of incoming students. That’ll help them focus on less-stressful matters—like meeting their roommate for the first time.