In a March 21 press conference, President Donald Trump announced his intention to move the student loan portfolio from the Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid office to the Small Business Administration. The Trump administration has not made any further statements regarding the transfer.

Jennifer Kratsa, department chair of Student Services, said that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) has remained generally the same so far for current seniors receiving financial aid packages from universities.

“With the (potential) dismantling of the Department of Ed, (the FAFSA is) being transferred to a much smaller unit. There is some concern about how that’s going to look, but I am optimistic that for this class, things are going to remain similar to what they’ve been,” Kratsa said. “While it’s an uncertain time for education, and we feel worried and nervous with what’s going on, I think that the current seniors can rest assured that they should continue to fill out the FAFSA if they haven’t done it yet and that that paperwork will be processed.”

Kratsa said that the future of the FAFSA for students in upcoming classes is unknown, as the Small Business Administration is smaller than the Department of Education and may not have the facilities to handle the larger student loan portfolio.

“I’m going to be looking at colleges soon, and I want to make sure that my education is still going to stay up to date next year,” junior Paloma Padilla said. “When I go to college I’m going to (need to) be able to pay for it, and I need FAFSA for that.”

Mareska Chettiar can be reached at [email protected].