The university has delayed its deadline for admission for a month – to June 1 – as it has struggled to get financial aid information from the federal government.

The FAFSA Simplification Act has led to a significant overhaul of the processes and systems used to award federal student aid, and every university is delayed in sending out the net cost for the upcoming semester to incoming and current students.

Hannah Davis, director of financial planning and regional recruiting in the Office of Admissions said the challenge has been the delayed timeline of receiving students’ FAFSAs from the U.S. Department of Education, which is being experienced by universities nationwide

“In a normal year, universities receive students’ FAFSAs as early as October,” Davis said. “This year, universities across the country didn’t receive FAFSAs until the middle of March.”

The student financial services office is currently working through the challenges they have faced in the 2024-’25 semester. Incoming students and families are delaying their decision to commit to ACU until they fully understand the cost they will have to pay. 

“This delay is understandable and encouraged by our admissions counselors, as we want incoming students and families to fully understand their net cost before making a decision to attend ACU,” Davis said. 

The financial office and admissions counselors are working to process information as they get it and communicate it to incoming and current students. Adriana Amaya, sophomore education major from Savoy, is also waiting for the financial information to be processed. 

“As a current student, I am also ready to hear what my net cost for the next semester will be,” Amaya said. “This information is important to me, and the sooner I know my expected cost, the better my parents and I can prepare for payments.” 

Davis said ACU decided to push the enrollment deadline to June 1 from the national candidate reply date of May 1.