UC has sent out financial aid to 94% of first-year students who applied for it

The FAFSA Simplification Act was supposed to overhaul and make the Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form easier. Instead, delays in the federal Department of Education’s handling of the process have impacted local universities' abilities to send out financial aid letters. 

The University of Cincinnati started sending letters out on April 26 and by the first week of May had offered financial aid packages to 94% of admitted first-year students who applied for it. Northern Kentucky University started sending financial aid letters out Thursday, May 9.

Cincinnati’s WCPO Channel 9 aired a segment about the process and included an interview with Jack Miner, vice provost for enrollment management at UC.

“We didn’t receive our data until literally two weeks ago,” Miner told WCPO for the May 9th segment.

That’s meant deadlines at most schools have been pushed back to confirm admissions and make decisions about student housing. The University of Cincinnati has extended the fall 2024 confirmation deadline for Uptown first-year students from May 1, 2024, to June 1, 2024, at 5 p.m. EST. 

"This is, you know it's tough for schools, you always think about that. But this is so tough for students and families," Miner told WCPO. "For so many students this is a conversation about whether or not you can afford college at all."

View the full WCPO segment online.

Learn more about student financial aid at UC online.