REAUTHORIZATION DELAYS DELIVERY OF FINANCIAL AID FORMS - Vol. 14 - No. 219

Sep 28, 2026

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Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and the 1986 Amendments delayed the delivery of 1987-88 student financial aid forms to colleges and high schools. The College Scholarship Service (CSS) and ACT reported shipments may not be completed until January 1987, unlike earlier years when forms arrived in early November. Officials warn the postponement could confuse students and parents, while also emphasizing the need to complete certified aid applications accurately to avoid processing delays and lost aid.

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REAUTHORIZATION DELAYS DELIVERY OF FINANCIAL AID FORMS

Financial aid form shipment timeline

Impact of reauthorization changes

How students apply for aid

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SERVING DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS A HOT TOPIC AT HIGHER EDUCATION MEETINGS

Fr1day,November 14,1986 Vol.14,No。219 # REAUTHORIZATION DELAYS DELIVERY OF FINANCIAL AID FORMS By waiting until the 11th hour to approve the Higher Education Amendments of1986,P.L。99-498,Congress caused delays in the delivery of the 1987-88 stu-dent aid forms. Both the College Scholarship Service(CSS)and the American College TestingProgram(ACT)report that shipments of student aid forms to colleges and highschools may not be completed until January 1987.In previous years,the formswere avallable by early November. Officials at CSS,the financial aid wing of the College Board,and ACT fearthat the delays will confuse and worry students and parents,since some col-leges request student aid applications by early spring. "We are concerned that students and parents may interpret the delay in deliveryof financlal aid forms as a sign that there is no assistance available,"Col-lege Board President George Hanford said in a statement."To the contrary,there wil1 be an estimated $20 billion available in various types of federal,state and institutional financial aid for students enrolling in college." C.Ronald Kimberling,assistant secretary for postsecondaryeducation with the Education Department,said the delays are not without pre-cedent and should not cause a disruption in the student aid cycle since theforms cannot be processed until Jan.1."It is real important that students donot panic,"he said yesterday. Mark Heffron,ACT's assistant vice president for financial services,said hisorganization is struggling to get most of the forms out before Christmas,sofamilies will have the chance to work on the forms during the holiday break. Heffron said that financial aid administrators and high school counselors havebeen working hard to let students know that aid will be available,but withoutthe forms scme students may become discouraged."The process is complicatedenough without this,"Heffron said this week. To apply for most federal student aid programs and some nonfederal aid awards,students must complete one of the federally certified aid forms.Most collegesuse either the CSS form,known as the Financial Aid Form(FAF)or ACT's form,the Family Financial Statement(FFS)。 By completing the form,those applying for federal student aid provide informa-tion concerning family size,income,assets and expenses.CSS or ACT evaluatesthe family's financial status and reports its preliminary analysis to collegesspecified by the student.Actual need is established by the college.(more) S # FINANCIAL AID FORM DELIVERY DELAYED BY REAUTHORIZATION(Cont.) FAF is published in 43 state and national versions,and some 15 million copiesare distributed annually.Another 30 versions of the FFS are printed and about 6.5million packets are sent out. The Education Department publishes its own student aid application form,theApplication for Federal Student Aid.Although it also needed revisions becauseof the Higher Education Amendments of 1986,passed by Congress Sept.25 andsigned by President Reagan Oct.17,an ED spokeswoman yesterday said those re-visions are not expected to delay its availability."The applications shouldbe ready next month,"she said. Congress changed many items during its reauthorization of the Higher EducationAct,but most significant for CSS and ACT has been the change in the indepen-dent student definition. Under P.L。99-498,a student who is 24 years old or older by Jan.1,1988,automatically will be designated as independent.Others qualifying for inde-pendent student status include orphans or wards of the court,veterans,marriedstudents not claimed on their parents tax forms for two years and students withlegal dependents(HED,Aug.12)。 Haskell Rhett,College Board's vice president for student assistance services,says the changes made will not affect many students,but the delays will meanthat everyone--students,colleges,state guarantee agencies and applicationprocessors--will have less time that usual to go through the process. "Thus,it

FAQs

Why were 1987-88 student aid forms delayed?

Approving the Higher Education Amendments of 1986 late caused delays in delivering the 1987-88 student aid forms to colleges and high schools.

When are student aid forms expected to be completed for colleges?

CSS and ACT reported shipments may not be completed until January 1987.

What forms do students typically need to apply for financial aid?

Students must complete a federally certified aid form, most commonly the CSS Financial Aid Form (FAF) or the ACT Family Financial Statement (FFS), for many federal programs and some nonfederal aid.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by jayni