Clarke University is facing lower enrollment due to changes to Federal Student Aid that took place last year and affected the incoming class. Total enrollment is down by 63 students for this year but is expected to be rising again for the incoming class of 2025.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form is the application needed to apply for federal grants, work-study funds, and loans. The Federal Student Aid is the largest source of aid for American students studying in the U.S. and can help pay for college or career/trade school. Completed is the form by the perspective student and their family.
The new FAFSA form launched December 31, 2023 and impacted the students in this academic year. There are 7 key changes made to the form, meant to make the process simpler for students and families to complete. The biggest change is the new formula used to determine the financial aid eligibility. The new ”Student Aid Index (SAI)“ is calculated by information on the FAFSA form and can range from -1500 to 999999 (not a dollar amount [editorial note]) The SAI replaced the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from the 2024-25 academic year on.
These changes affected a lot of families and students wanting to study at Clarke. The FAFSA form is very important for any student who is relying on federal or state funding and must be completed and sent to Clarke’s financial aid office. Once it is received, the office will generate their official financial aid letter. The delay in the FAFSA opening last year did not allow for assistance in developing a payment plan with the families until much later in the admission cycle. According to Ali Boyd, Executive Director of Admissions, this caused anxiousness and uncertainty for families, resulting in lower enrollment.
The enrollment for 2024 is at 962 total students. This is still the second highest enrollment year in the last 6 years (since 2019) and is only surpassed by the total of 1025 students in 2023, where Clarke had its largest incoming undergraduate class in the history of the university with 200 first-year and 80 transfer-students. This year’s enrollment could affect the university for the coming 4 years, but the administration already took measures to fix this gap, and the undergraduate class of 2025 is on track to be back at the numbers of Fall 2023.
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