By Maria Carrasco, NASFAA Staff Reporter
The launch of the 2024-25 FAFSA proved to have many challenges, especially for students from mixed-status immigrant families. Experts gathered on Wednesday afternoon at NASFAA’s 2025 National Conference to discuss the lessons learned from FAFSA simplification, along with what work needs to be done to help these students complete the FAFSA and ultimately, enroll and complete their postsecondary education.
The session began with an overview of immigrant-origin populations in higher education. According to Corinne Kentor, manager of research and policy at the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, immigrant-origin students drove 90% of enrollment growth at U.S. colleges and universities between 2000 and 2022. In 2022, just under half of the first-generation students in higher education were noncitizens.
However, even with a large immigrant-origin population in the U.S., Kentor noted that there are many current policy issues impacting and threatening the lives of immigrants, particularly those that are students on campus. These policy issues are coupled with technical challenges from FAFSA simplification, where many had issues with creating an FSA ID, accessing translation and support services, and had overall confusion about contributor requirements for the 2024-25 form.
Additionally, many mixed-status students and families have concerns about information security, with many fearing the Department of Education (ED) could share sensitive information with immigration officials. And while to date, FAFSA information has not been used for immigration enforcement, ultimately, many of these students and families have lost trust in the financial aid system, Kentor said.
Kentor highlighted several resources available for attendees to use to communicate with students and families about FAFSA data security, which includes the Higher Ed Immigration Portal.
The conversation shifted to best practices for financial aid professionals to use when working with mixed-status students and families. Luz Bertadillo Rodriguez, director of campus engagement for the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, stressed that financial aid professionals should familiarize themselves with data privacy protections and maintain up-to-date knowledge of FAFSA processes and workarounds.
Additionally, Bertadillo Rodriguez noted that mixed-status families may need more than one session with a financial aid professional to complete the FAFSA. It is also key that financial aid offices are able to provide information to students and families that appeals to different learning styles and various languages.
A key part of the discussion among the panelists and attendees was on how to foster trust in the financial aid office with these students and families. That could look like a financial aid professional discussing the importance of completing the FAFSA, or a professional sharing their experience filling out the FAFSA. It could also look like following up with students and families with more information after an initial visit, among other things.
The session concluded with attendees discussing different methods and strategies for building this trust and communicating the message that mixed-status students and families are entitled to apply for federal financial aid.
Our Today's News team is on the ground in Anaheim, keeping you up to date on NASFAA 2025 sessions and special events. Be sure to follow our social media channels, where you can share your experiences and connect with your colleagues. Check out all of our conference news coverage and stay tuned to Today’s News for more throughout the conference.
Publication Date: 6/26/2025
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