Pitt has begun receiving FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) data from the U.S. Department of Education after problems with a revised form caused significant delays for colleges and universities throughout the country.
The Pitt Office of Admissions and Financial Aid said it received the first batch of FAFSA information files, called ISIRs (Institutional Student Information Records), on March 19.
“There are numerous technical issues with those files that are in the process of being fixed,” the office reported. “Currently, Pitt anticipates sending out financial aid offers to fall 2024 admitted undergraduate students mid-April.”
The technical issues are things that both the Department of Education and PeopleSoft are working to fix.
Some schools have reported getting just a handful of aid applications so far. An official from Oregon State University told NPR that it had only received 20 applications by the end of last week out of the 90,000 the school expects to process this spring.
To date, Pitt has received about 9,000 files from the Department of Education, which is far fewer than what historically has been received by this time in the spring.
In February, Pitt joined several other schools in extending the commitment deadline for first-year students admitted for this fall from May 1 to May 15, amid the FAFSA issues.
“The extension ensures that students and families have ample time to review their options and make an informed decision when choosing Pitt,” Marc Harding, vice provost for enrollment, said at the time.
— Susan Jones
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