LOUISVILLE, Ky. — There have been some issues with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid since the updated version was launched at the end of last year.

Kentukianaworks College Access Center has been helping students with navigating the new FAFSA process. The center is a city program that provides free services for people wanting to go to college.

“Some of those services include applying for the financial aid application,” said Deanna Coles, the lead adult services counselor at KCAC. “We also provide career counseling. We help with student loan and student loan rehabilitation. We also help with searching for scholarships.”

Counselors at the center have seen an increase in clients compared to previous years because of the FAFSA changes and issues that have come up since the launch.

“People are typically used to seeing the application open Oct. 1, however it was pushed back this year to Dec. 31 which of course caused a lot of anxiety for families,” said Coles.

Bellarmine University has extended its college decision deadline from May 1 to June 1 in response to the delays.

“We thought that it was important to try to alleviate any concerns or anxiety that students and families may have, giving them more time,” said Michael Marshall, the vice president for enrollment, marketing and communication at the university.

There have been around 1,340,000 submissions nationally through March 15 of this year, according to the National College Attainment Network’s FAFSA tracker. That’s an over 30% decrease compared to the last academic year.