By Karen Garvey

Posted November 13, 2025

 

At her high school, nobody talked to Taylor Truman about filling out a FAFSA — the application for federal student aid. Her father, who had his own experience paying off student loans, worried about her going into debt, Truman said.

 

“It just didn’t seem like something I needed to do,” Truman said.

 

So, she completed two years at Metropolitan State University of Denver before she applied for aid. Even then she did it only because it was required when she sought a work-study job.

 

She’s not alone.

 

Colorado has a history of leaving federal financial aid on the table. Only 44.58% of high school seniors in the class of 2025 completed the form, according to National FAFSA Tracker. That’s up 17% from the class of 2024, but it’s still near the bottom nationally. Among the 50 states and Washington, D.C., only six posted lower completion rates than Colorado.

 

MSU Denver students, however, are doing better when it comes to obtaining the financial help they need: 63.6% of the University’s undergraduate students submitted a FAFSA during the 2024-25 academic year.

 

Get it in early — the earlier the better.”
Jennifer Helgeson, MSU Denver’s Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships

 

Nationwide, only 71% of prospective college students filled out the form for the 2025 academic year, down from 74% in 2024 — a year in which system glitches caused massive delays in processing the applications and potentially discouraged many from filing.

 

In addition, Sallie’s survey found that only 21% of families knew they can apply starting in October.

 

While there is no official deadline, MSU Denver’s priority deadline is March 1. However, because some financial aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, it’s a good idea to complete the application as soon as possible, said Jennifer Helgeson, director of compliance for MSU Denver’s Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.

 

“Get it in early — the earlier the better,” she said.

 

Despite uncertainty regarding federal funding and the status of the U.S. Department of Education, financial aid remains widely available, Helgeson said. “Students should definitely still be filling out FAFSA applications,” she said.

 

Federal staff cuts might mean slight customer service delays for prospective students who contact them with questions, Helgeson said. “But otherwise, it’s business as usual.”

 

There are no such delays at MSU Denver, however. Helgeson said there is plenty of help available for students and parents who have questions or concerns about completing the form, including on the financial aid office webpage.

 

MSU Denver helps students access financial aid assistance in several other ways, too, including holding campus workshops. The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships also participates in high school FAFSA-completion events and supports targeted efforts in Immigrant Services. MSU Denver’s Single Stop program goes one step further to help students access public benefits to ensure they have support for basic needs beyond their tuition and fees.

 

There are widespread misconceptions that financial aid is only for students living in poverty. The reality is that most students receive some amount of assistance, even if it doesn’t cover all their expenses. MSU Denver’s Roadrunner Promise program pays tuition and fees for eligible students whose fees aren’t covered by other federal, state and institutional aid and scholarship programs.

 

Undocumented students are not eligible for federal financial aid, but a 2019 Colorado law extends state financial aid to Dreamers through the Colorado Application for State Financial Aid, or CASFA.

 

In 2023, FAFSA forms were revamped and simplified, but that effort caused delays, and students didn’t get access to the financial aid forms until the end of December.

 

Despite those glitches, the effort to simplify the form worked, Taylor Truman said. “I thought it would be like filing taxes, but it was much easier,” she said. Even with having to look up her tax information, the whole process “took about 15 or 20 minutes.”

 

That’s not the only reason the Communication Design major is happy she finally FAFSA’d. The award she received will cover her tuition costs for next semester, Truman said. “Now I don’t have to take out any loans. I’m definitely going to reapply next year.”

 

Learn more about financial aid available at MSU Denver.

 

Karen Garvey, Senior Writer & Content Manager, University Communications and Marketing MSU RED. This story originally appeared on MSU Denver RED.