Due to FAFSA delays, the UC and CSU systems have extended their intent to register deadlines. All nine UC campuses have a Wednesday, May 15, 2024 deadline. CSU has extended the deadline for new first-time, first-year admitted students to no earlier than Wednesday, May 15, at all 23 campuses.
By Ayla Ozturk
On Wednesday, February 7, 2024, the University of California [UC] and California State University [CSU] systems announced that the deadline to accept admission offers for fall 2024 had been extended.
Usually, students have until May 1 to accept an offer of admission. However, due to FAFSA delays, the deadline is now Wednesday, May 15, 2024, for all UC and CSU campuses (CSU has specified “no earlier” than May 15.)
As of the publication of this article, the new deadline does not apply to out-of-state and international first-year undergraduate students at UC Berkley. The campus needs more time to evaluate the situation.
The May 15 deadline is based on the FAFSA schedule that the U.S. Department of Education announced on Tuesday, January 30.
According to the schedule, colleges will not receive students’ FAFSA information until mid-March. It is usually received two months prior.
Without the information from the FAFSA, financial aid offices cannot create financial aid packages. For some students, financial aid is a determining factor in choosing their college. (Read more about the impact on financial aid offices here).
UC campuses plan to provide financial aid offers to admitted first-year students starting in mid-April, giving students time to review financial aid packages and make an informed decision on or before Wednesday, May 15.
The extended deadline will also give students enough time to secure housing, visit campuses, and prepare for their transition to college in the fall. It will also allow UC campuses to admit students on the waitlist.
If there are additional delays or changes, UC will make and communicate changes as necessary.
CSU has yet to give an estimated date. However, it has stated that the priority deadline for financial aid is Tuesday, April 2.
Adam Hacker, ’24, applied to UC Berkeley, UC Los Angeles [UCLA], UC Irvine, and UC San Diego [UCSD]. He aims to attend UC Berkeley for computer science.
“I definitely appreciate the extension,” Hacker says. “My only thing is that if the deadline for other schools that aren’t in the UC system is still May 1, then I’ll still have to make a decision by May 1. So it’s nice for UC campuses, but in the end, I’m not sure if it’ll really make that big of a difference.”
Jacob Hutchinson, ’24, applied to five schools; UCSD, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Irvine, UCSD, CSU Long Beach, CSU Channel Islands, and CSU San Diego. He aims to attend UCLA for business economics.
“I think it’s really nice to give that extra half a month to definitely go and tour the college campus,” Hutchinson says. “It’s always a struggle to figure out where you want to go within the month of finding out where you were accepted, so I think it’s really nice to have that extension.”
Taylor McElree, ’24, applied to Cal Poly Humbolt. “[The extension] is actually really nice,” she says.
Beatrice Sanjaya, ’24, applied to CSU Fresno, CSU San Diego, CSU Fullerton, and CSU Long Beach.
Hacker and Hutchinson have filled out the FAFSA. McElree and Sanjaya have not. “I just don’t have the time,” McElree says.
Sanjaya says, “My mom works every day. So it’s kind of hard to get her to do [the FAFSA].”
“The resources online are kind of outdated now. So when I was filling out the FAFSA, there was just stuff I didn’t understand, and I couldn’t really look anywhere online because there wasn’t any new information,” Hacker says.
Hutchinson had difficulty with submitting the form itself. “It [would not] authenticate my application because it said that I didn’t give it a signature, even though I did click the [signature] box,” he says.
Students have to keep various deadlines in mind. When these deadlines change, students may struggle to keep track. “It’s just kind of hard to stay on top of things,” Hacker says.
Students and families can fill out and submit the FAFSA here by Tuesday, April 2.
Ayla Ozturk
Ayla Ozturk, class of 2024, is a fourth-year journalism student passionate about leading the News section. She is dedicated to informing students and amplifying their voices through Government and Politics writing.
You can reach her at ayla.oz3769@vusd.us.
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