Watch Bridge’s Lunch Break on the FAFSA fiasco’s impact on MI students
- Experts joined more than 30 participants to discuss the 2024 changes to the FAFSA form and their impact on the post-secondary application process
- Panelists discussed how students and families can receive help with their FAFSA, why the FAFSA process has been fraught and the importance of FAFSA completion for individuals and communities
- Watch the full recording of the discussion below
Bridge Michigan’s monthly Lunch Break series returned April 24 with an examination of the botched 2024 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) changes and their impacts on students, families, colleges and universities in Michigan.
If you missed this live Zoom event, you can stream it below. Many helpful links for those seeking FAFSA assistance were shared in the chat during the event, and you can read the transcript here.
Panelists included Katie Condon, vice president of enrollment management at Eastern Michigan University, Diann Cosme, director of Michigan student aid at the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential, and Jamie Jacobs, deputy director of the Michigan College Access Network. Bridge education reporter Isabel Lohman moderated the discussion, and more than 30 participants joined the conversation in real time.
The conversation focused on how we got here, what these changes and delays mean for students and their families, how counselors and financial aid officers are working to help students work through their FAFSA challenges; the differences between FAFSA, Pell grants, the Michigan Achievement Scholarship and other financial aid options; perceptions of the value of a college degree, the potential long-term impacts of low post-secondary enrollment on communities and economies and more.
Bridge’s Lunch Break monthly series focuses on timely topics facing our state. Previous discussions have included examinations of efforts to educate students for careers in Michigan, solutions to gun violence in Michigan, the long-term impact of pollution from Michigan’s automotive industry, youth mental health in Michigan and ideas for growing the state’s population.
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Related:
- More FAFSA problems: What Michigan families need to know about financial aid
- Michigan FAFSA challenges: High school seniors slow to fill out form
- How to get free tuition from Michigan colleges and universities
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Our Lunch Break series will resume in May. The date, time and topic will be announced soon.
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