FAFSA Simplification Act
Urgent Updates Impacting Financial Aid Awards!
Check here for the latest updates regarding the processing errors and solutions resulting from the FAFSA Simplification Act. This information will be updated multiple times throughout the day.
URGENT!
The Financial Aid Appeal Deadline for the Fall 2024 semester is October 15. If you are interested in potentially receiving Federal Financial Aid for the Fall 2024, you need to submit a Financial Aid Appeal through the link included below.
Daily Updates
September 2024
Update: September 12, 1:58 p.m. – All pending issues impacting financial aid for the fall 2024 term have been resolved, and the regular drop date deadline applies.
STUDENTS: Notifications have been sent to you if your classes will be dropped for non-payment on 9/16 by the end of the day. Do not ignore those notifications. Your payment for courses is overdue and is not related to the FAFSA Simplification ACT. Arrange payment options in your MyLeo through the LeoPay app to remain enrolled.
Update: September 4, 4:09 p.m. – All issues where Pell Grants were only partially disbursed to CBE students’ financial aid awards via myLeo have been resolved.
STUDENTS: If you have a current balance, you must pay by the upcoming published drop date for CBE fall flex term 1. Failure to pay will result in your classes being dropped.
September 4, 11:00 a.m. – A manual fix has been found to address the issue where Pell Grants were only partially disbursing to CBE students' financial aid awards via myLeo.
STUDENTS: If you see only a partial Pell Grant in your myLeo account, which leaves a balance, there is no need to call or email the Financial Aid Office to report this; although a manual process, your funds will still be disbursed. Importantly, YOUR CLASSES WILL NOT BE DROPPED. Please check back for further updates.
September 1, 1:05 p.m. – We identified an issue where Pell Grants were only partially disbursing to CBE students’ financial aid awards via myLeo. Our Financial Aid team is currently collaborating with the Department of Education to investigate the cause of this discrepancy.
STUDENTS: If you see only a partial Pell Grant in your myLeo account, which leaves a balance, please note that the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships is aware of this issue and is actively working on a solution. There is no need to call or email the Financial Aid Office to report this, as we can identify all partial awards through our system. We will provide updates on this matter throughout the week. Importantly, YOUR CLASSES WILL NOT BE DROPPED FOR NON-PAYMENT. Please check back for further updates.
August 2024
August 16, 9:17 a.m. – It was observed that some graduate students were flagged as undergraduate seniors in their loan records despite their 2024-2025 FAFSA and graduate admissions information being correct. This error was a direct result of changes made to the 2024-2025 FAFSA structure by the FAFSA Simplification Act. Our technical team has resolved this problem by addressing the new format to the updated FAFSA year in college information. Unfortunately, this is a manual fix and the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships is working to update master promissory note (MPN) requirements for the students affected and disbursing eligible aid.
STUDENTS: There is no need to call or email the Financial Aid Office to report this problem. This manual fix is occurring now, and we are working as quickly as possible to help all our fellow Lions. Importantly, YOUR CLASSES WILL NOT BE DROPPED. Please check back for further updates.
August 7, 2024 8:14 a.m. – It was observed that a mandatory loan requirement for student federal loans was being flagged as unsatisfied despite students having confirmed their completion of this requirement multiple times. A workaround was applied that would push the loan though, despite the missing acknowledgment requirement flag.
STUDENTS: A flag for the loan acknowledgment requirement does NOT prevent the disbursement of the loan. Even if the acknowledgment remains flagged as incomplete in your myLeo student account. There is no need to call or email the Financial Aid Office to report this incomplete loan acknowledgment flag; despite the manual process, your funds will still be disbursed. Importantly, YOUR CLASSES WILL NOT BE DROPPED. Please check back for further updates.
Why these issues?
As nationally reported, the U.S. Department of Education has disrupted systems that have placed colleges and universities in near-impossible situations. We have seen significant calculation errors, slow and laborious workarounds and processes that impact thousands of our fellow Lions, reducing them to manual hand calculations. All of these issues no one wanted or could have ever prepared for. Here is a link to the national news outlets reporting on these national issues:
- USA TODAY: How did the FAFSA rollout go so wrong? A look at the key events
- NASFAA: FAFSA Simplification Web Center
- FSA Partner Connect: FAFSA Simplification Information
- NASFAA: FAFSA Simplification News Coverage
- ED’s Latest FAFSA Misstep May Mean Further Delayed Aid to College Students (nasfaa.org)
- On Their Own, Without a Home, and Waiting for Federal Aid (chronicle.com)
Other Available Options
Tuition and Leo Personal Loans
The Texas A&M University-Commerce Institutional Loan program offers two types of short-term loans—tuition loans and Leo personal loans. Due to issues related to the FAFSA Simplification ACT, the $35 processing fee will be waived until October 18, 2024.
Book Credits for Financial Aid Students
If you’re an off-campus student looking to use emergency book credits to purchase textbooks through the university bookstore, you can have them shipped directly to you. Emergency book credits are available only for students with pending financial aid from Texas A&M University-Commerce. To learn more about eligibility, how to apply, and the full process, click the link below.