Texas students with immigrant parents lost out on college aid because of FAFSA glitch

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Students from immigrant families appear to have lost out on state grant money for college because of a glitch with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, confirming fears from earlier this year.

The revamped FAFSA prevented parents who did not have a Social Security number from adding their financial information online. Students affected by the glitch had to wait months for the U.S. Education Department to come up with a workaround so they could complete the form.

Texas colleges distribute state financial aid on a first-come, first-serve basis, which meant students from immigrant families were last in line for aid this year.

Texas counselors who help students apply for financial aid to make post-secondary education more accessible say college hopefuls from households with mixed immigration statuses received less money than they were eligible to get. Universities do not track the immigration status of students’ households, making it unclear the extent to which those students were affected.

“These are students who are eligible to complete the FAFSA. They're U.S. citizens,” said Andrea Harper, of college access group Breakthrough Central Texas. “When they were placed in the back of the line because of these glitches, they lost out… That's going to impact this group of students for many years, maybe for their whole lives.”

Students can still access federal Pell Grant dollars, regardless of when they submit their application. But state grant money can cover any gaps left after using federal aid, helping students pay for housing, transportation, books and other needs. The Texas grant averages $5,000 per student for the school year.

Karla Buenaventura Esquina had already mapped out the route from her South Austin home to Texas State University when the new federal financial aid form launched at the end of last year. Ever since she took a campus tour, she imagined going to Texas State. There, she thought, she would become the first in her family to graduate from college — and a role model for her younger brother.

But the financial aid did not come through. Despite repeated attempts, she wasn’t able to successfully submit her form until late spring. By then, it was too late. In phone calls with the financial aid office at Texas State, advisers told Esquina she had been eligible for the Texas grant but the school ran out of money before her form was processed.

Esquina enrolled at Austin Community College instead, where she qualifies for free tuition. She plans to work as a barista to save up and aims to transfer to Texas State after she finishes her core classes.

“At first, it was hard. I wanted to go to a university, experience everything new,” Esquina said. “But I don't have to stress my parents out about putting horrendous amounts of money into a university.”

Texas State, Prairie View A&M University, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of North Texas were among the universities that college access experts said weren’t able to offer financial aid to students from immigrant families because they had run out of state grant money. The universities did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sara Urquidez, a college access expert, said she expects the new FAFSA’s rollout problems will result in steep enrollment declines this year — and that students from immigrant families will be the most affected.

“We're going to see that. Though they had done everything to be able to attend a four-year institution, they just could not make it work financially,” said Urquidez, who is the executive director of Academic Success Program, a nonprofit that helps high school students in Dallas, Houston and College Station.

The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.

Disclosure: Prairie View A&M University, University of Texas at Austin and University of North Texas have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.