{"id":44529,"date":"2019-01-25T11:02:59","date_gmt":"2019-01-25T18:02:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2019\/01\/u-s-government-shutdown-will-this-affect-university-admissions\/"},"modified":"2019-01-25T11:02:59","modified_gmt":"2019-01-25T18:02:59","slug":"u-s-government-shutdown-will-this-affect-university-admissions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/u-s-government-shutdown-will-this-affect-university-admissions\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Government Shutdown: Will this affect university admissions?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Government<\/figure>\n

Cable news hysterics aside, government shutdowns are usually brief, quotidian frustrations that ruin a few vacations in national parks and give government employees some paid days off.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

However, as the longest government shutdown in U.S. history<\/a> stretches near a month, some of our clients have understandably expressed concerns that this time might be different. Domestic clients worry that their financial aid may be jeopardized by a shuttered IRS; international clients fear delays in visa processing and screening. So, how will the shutdown affect university admissions?<\/p>\n

The short answer: It won\u2019t.<\/p>\n

First, it\u2019s important to understand that nothing has
\nactually changed on the ground. The U.S. is rare amongst developed countries in
\nhaving basically no national university system beyond a handful of military
\nacademies. Government schools are run at the state level, by state governments
\nthat are fully operational\u2014no adcom members have gone unpaid in this shutdown! Admissions
\ndepartments use the federal government mainly as a source of information<\/em> about applicants\u2019 financial
\naid and visa eligibility. Let\u2019s address both of these:<\/p>\n

Financial Aid<\/h3>\n

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA<\/a>) is the federal piece in the financial aid puzzle. The form itself is still available and not the problem\u2014the feds\u2019 come into play with the approximately one-third of students whose FASFA is deemed to require further auditing. In some of those cases, the necessary tax receipts can be imported through an automated system that is still operational. However, students who needed further documentation were having difficulty without the IRS\u2026 until the situation changed dramatically on January 9th<\/sup>. <\/p>\n

On that day, the U.S. Department of Education announced to
\nuniversities a policy change that amounts to: \u201cjust take the students\u2019 word for
\nit.\u201d Instead of submitting an official IRS report, students can now submit signed
\ntax returns or statements about their family\u2019s financial status. The department
\nsays the revision had been planned since November, as a way of making the
\nprocess easier for poorer students and those who are not receiving parental
\nguidance. Regardless of the motivation, this change ensures the government
\nshutdown will not affect this year\u2019s financial applications.<\/p>\n

Visas<\/h3>\n

It would be logical to assume that the student visa process
\nwould be impacted by the \u201cshutdown\u201d of the departments of Homeland Security and
\nState, but \u201cshutdown\u201d in U.S. politics does not mean \u201cclosure.\u201d These
\ndepartments have received no budget allocation for \u201cnon-essential\u201d functions,
\nbut they are still allowed to do anything that pays for itself. Amongst those
\nthings: the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). <\/p>\n

Because SEVP is funded by user fees, its operations have not been interrupted. The embassies and consulates, which handle some of the interviews and appointments on behalf of the SEVP, are also funded by user fees and as yet remain unaffected. In a very long shutdown, it\u2019s possible that elements of the system could run out of money if their fees prove too low, but so far that has not happened. No one likes paying for paperwork, but this time at least applicants are getting something for their money!<\/p>\n

The Big Picture<\/h3>\n

Shutdown dramatics should not affect the graduate or undergraduate admissions process in the U.S., and certainly should not play a role in applicants\u2019 decision-making.\u00a0 Taking a step back from today\u2019s headlines, the long-term value of a U.S. education, and top schools internationally for that matter, has remained remarkably constant. The returns a degree generates over the course of a decades-long career depend much more on things like the network you built on campus and the state of the economy upon graduation. <\/p>\n

Your goal should still be to go to the best school you can get in to, because in 30 years, Harvard<\/a>, LBS<\/a>, Stanford<\/a>, Peking University<\/a>, and all other giants will STILL likely have the same reputations they do today. Such is the nature of the beast. <\/p>\n

The present sound and fury is a cable news entertainment\u2014in the real world, the admissions season continues uninterrupted. So, on behalf of all excellent universities everywhere<\/em>—–pay more attention to “what students and current graduates who are getting employed and achieving success have to say\u201d, and WAY LESS to what news bulletins and pundits who have wildly different incentives to YOURS have to say. <\/p>\n

\n

This is our take, but we wanna hear from anyone who has had a different experience!<\/p>\n