As the school year begins, the transition from AccessPlus to Workday has put many Iowa State students in a bind with their financial aid. 

“Our team (the financial aid office) has been working diligently to assist students with the transition to Workday Student, and we appreciate their patience,” Chad Olson, the director of Student Financial Aid, said. “Making the move to a new software platform is a significant undertaking, and we expected there would be some growing pains. Iowa State has a dedicated team facilitating the transition to Workday Student. As we’ve discovered new issues, they’ve worked quickly to help us identify and implement solutions.”

According to previous reporting by the Daily, some students have reported issues on Workday since the transition.

Some students like Emily Trewet, a senior in interior design, have reported issues gaining access to their financial aid, scholarships or even increased tuition from previous years. 

Trewet had an extra $1,400 that was tacked on to her fall semester tuition because of errors in costs associated with enrolling in two interior design studio classes that take field trips to different cities. 

“On AccessPlus, it would show a range from $25 to $700 added to our tuition, but we wouldn’t have to pay anything until our professor sent a breakdown of the cost to the financial aid office,” Trewet said. “Closer to the field trip, we would then pay the total amount, like $300 or $400, on our U-bill.”

Trewet said that Workday didn’t give any of the interior design students a cost range and immediately charged them the maximum field trip fee of $700 per studio class to their tuition.

“I was […] trying to figure out how I was going to pay an additional $1,400 on top of my tuition,” Trewet said. “I couldn’t pay that right now, but I also didn’t want to be charged late fees if I didn’t pay it.”

Although some like Trewet complained about the difficult transition from the registration devices, Olson said the upgrade was necessary. 

“Workday Student replaces AccessPlus, ADIN and other decades-old legacy systems that were no longer sufficient in meeting the needs of the university community,” Olson said. “The Office of Student Financial Aid processed student aid through the ADIN system, which was outdated and made it difficult to implement new features. While there is a learning curve with any new platform, Workday Student will improve efficiency going forward.”

The financial aid office said they strive to help every student achieve a successful school year and help with their financial aid and FAFSA troubles. 

“Our average wait times are actually between 20 to 30 minutes. Since Aug. 1, we’ve had approximately 8,900 students in the phone queue. If students have an urgent question, they may wish to schedule an in-person or virtual appointment on EAB Navigate,” Olson said in a statement regarding wait times and scholarship delays due to Workday.

The Office of Student Financial Aid is located at 0210 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Students can schedule a meeting with a financial aid advisor through Zoom or in person via Navigate360. 

“We understand this is challenging for students, and our team is here to help,” Olson said. “Anyone with questions or needing assistance should contact our office at 515-294-2223 or [email protected].”