DES MOINES, Iowa — Dreams are now coming true at Lincoln High School as seniors are starting to get their college acceptance letters.

“I honestly can’t believe it. I’ve really wanted to go pre-med ever since I was a younger kid,” said senior Emelyna Acosta-Labra.

This is bringing students one step closer to what they’ve always wanted to accomplish.

“I want to do forensic science, but more specifically, forensic pathology. I’ve shadowed so many times. I’ve seen so many autopsies. So, I know that’s what I want to do and I’m comfortable with it as well,” said senior Angela Escobedo-lbarado.

However, many students said the FAFSA, or the free application for federal student aid, is what can make or break their ability to go to college.

Escobedo-lbarado said she will likely be in school for thirteen years as she works to achieve her career goals. “That’s so expensive,” she said.

Another senior, Ximena Deras, plans to study dentistry and she also has many years of higher education ahead of her. “I am not able to support my college tuition all by myself or by the family, so getting that help from the FAFSA Department was really important for me,” she said.

Last year, the Department of Education rolled out a new FAFSA application with the goal of making the form easier to fill out. Despite good intentions, last year’s application cycle was stressful for students and schools. The application came out late and was riddled with glitches. It ended up delaying colleges from providing financial aid packages to students.

Last year’s flawed rollout caused worry for high school seniors this year.

“It definitely scared me a little because I know FAFSA is one of the key elements to get your financial aid ready,” said Deras.

However, the Department of Education worked on fixing the application’s problems, and this resulted in a smoother application cycle this year, despite also releasing the 2025-2026 application later than the normal October 1st release date.

Acosta-Labra and Escobedo-lbarado said filling out their applications only took them two hours and one hour, respectively.

The new form simplified the FAFSA from over 100 questions to around 40, and according to school officials, it accomplished what the department first promised when announcing the rollout of a new application.

“It actually lets me focus on other parts of my job, whereas in previous years, FAFSA became really overwhelming because students needed so much help,” said school counselor Julia Minnehan.

As a result, Minnehan says this was the easiest FAFSA application cycle in school history. Now, students can focus less on FAFSA and more on their own goals.

“It feels really relieving. After what happened last year, I didn’t think it would be that easy,” said Acosta-Labra.

Lincoln High School is hosting an event to help students and families with the FAFSA on Thursday, January 23rd from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.