TOLEDO, Ohio — It's the time of year when high school students are graduating. Some of them are college-bound and many families are crunching numbers on how to pay for it.
"It's really overwhelming and confusing," Brooke Brownstone said, describing what it's been like for some parents trying to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form.
Brownstone works for Toledo Tomorrow, a college and career access organization, helping with college scholarships, essays and applications.
"Right now, I am focusing a lot on FAFSA applications," she said.
The FAFSA application process was revised recently, after the passage of the FAFSA Simplification Act, to make filing easier. But with the overhaul came technical issues around the U.S., such as applicants receiving error messages.
"They're sort of stuck, they're just kind of like, 'well, I don't know what to do here," Brownstone said.
She said these types of errors are making the process more challenging compared to other years.
According to the National College Attainment Network, there has been a 29.1% decline in all FAFSA filings compared to the last academic year.
Cecilia Castellano, vice president for enrollment management at Bowling Green State University, said the university has only seen a 10% decrease — about 2,000 students less — compared to last year.
"We're pleased that it's not quite as bad as the national and state trends, but I want to make education accessible and affordable for everybody, so families still need to take that first step and fill out the form," Castellano said.
Brownstone said the new form is easier when it works and fewer glitches happen.
She hopes the number of people submitting forms increases, so people can get grants and scholarships instead of taking out loans.
"It will impact you later in life, because you will have a stack of loans that you need to pay off, and it would be unfortunate if you were actually eligible for all of that free money through FAFSA," Brownstone said.
BGSU said it's offering flexibility for those who still need to file.
Toledo Tomorrow offers free help to anyone who needs help with finishing the form.