Texas students burdened by high college costs await delayed financial aid

Struggling to Stay Afloat: The Impact of FAFSA Delays on College Students

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Tina-Rose Chipeta fiddled with a Lego set in her dorm room bed to quiet the numbers and costs bouncing in her brain. How would she stretch out her savings to get her through the end of the semester?

The 19-year-old Texas A&M sophomore learned in the thick of July that she would see a $10,000 drop in financial aid, well after she had to sign up for on-campus housing and enroll in classes. Her family had redirected the money that usually went to help her with college to pay off medical bills after her mother was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder this year.

Tina-Rose Chipeta pulls up her online financial aid portal on a laptop. – Credit: Ishika Samant for The Texas Tribune

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