| PublicationDate: 3/19/98 Summary: 1998-99 Processing Status Update # 10 Author: ODAS - Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary - SFA Posted March 19, 1998 TO: Financial Aid Administrators FROM: Diane E. Rogers Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Student Financial Assistance Programs SUBJECT: 1998-99 Processing Status Update # 10 I am pleased to present you with my tenth message on the processing of the 1998-99 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). During the week of March 9-13, we processed 379,705 applications for the 1998-99 cycle, bringing our year-to-date total to 1,921,590 applications. Our contractors continue to process FAFSAs smoothly during the busiest weeks of the year. As expected, the number of FAFSAs we received has peaked and our contractors are now processing more FAFSAs than we are receiving. This past week, they processed roughly 100,000 more. Although the peak application period has passed, our contractors will continue to process forms at peak levels for two to three weeks, processing more forms than they receive. Our main Multiple Data Entry (MDE) contractor, ACT, has expanded its capacity through additional, more experienced staff. Last week, our contractors processed about 17 percent more FAFSAs than the prior week. Last week, I reported that there were roughly 375,000 applications which were more than seven days old. This week, that number has been reduced to just under 300,000. All forms have been processed regularly in the order in which they were received. As of March 16th, our MDE contractors have completed processing all forms received before February 27, 1998. While it is true that our MDE contractors are not processing forms as quickly as we would like, our daily process reports and projections for future processing lead us to believe that there will be no undue delays or difficulties in calculating studentsÂ’ eligibility for financial aid. However, we would like to address any specific problems which may exist. If your institution has experienced unique difficulties, please contact the DepartmentÂ’s customer service hotline at (800) 330-5947 or via electronic mail at cps@ncs.com. As always, students who would like their FAFSAs to be processed more quickly may apply electronically, including via FAFSA on the Web. Electronic FAFSAs are faster and easier for students to file and for the Department to process. The following statistics are through Friday, March 13: FAFSA and Renewal Applications RECEIPTS PROCESSING YEAR TO DATE--GRAND TOTAL 2,868,864 1,921,590 I. Paper 2,732,690 1,785,416 II. Electronic 136,174 136,174 |