Congress mandated in 2020 that the Education Department simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to make it easier for families to complete. While the department met its Dec. 31, 2023 deadline—barely—the rollout of the new Better FAFSA has been plagued by an unrelenting series of glitches, errors and missteps. Inside Higher Ed has closely followed the FAFSA “simplification” saga from the start.
While one House committee probed the FAFSA mess Wednesday, another grilled Education Secretary Miguel Cardona about the disastrous rollout of the student-aid form.
Politics, priorities and a set of unforced errors unraveled the Education Department’s best-laid plans for a federal aid overhaul. Critics say they should have seen it coming.
In New York City, completion rates for the revamped federal form are down a whopping 45 percent. City agencies, higher ed partners and advocacy groups are pooling their resources to get back on track.
The number of students who filled out the federal aid form is down nearly 30 percent. The ramifications for access and enrollment could be devastating.
Many local officials say they’ll do what’s right for students, but note that pushing the deadline back too far could have its own unintended consequences.
The U.S. Education Department released additional details Tuesday on the scope and impact of the tax issue flagged last week by financial aid officers, the…
Applications are up and acceptance rates are down after a chaotic year in college admissions. But a number of factors could dampen enrollment optimism.
Education Department officials said Friday they’d been made aware of potential issues with incorrect tax data on processed student aid forms, threatening once again to…
As problems continue to beset the new FAFSA, most colleges are pushing their deposit deadlines into June. But some are still dragging their feet. What’s the hold up?
The Education Department asked for two years’ worth of data by July 31—a task that will be “a significant institutional undertaking,” administrators say.
The education department said calculation errors rendered hundreds of thousands of student aid forms unusable, setting time-strapped colleges back further.
After a two-month delay, the U.S. Education Department began sending FAFSA forms to colleges last week. College officials are eager to get to work, but slow pace and technical holdups threaten further delays.
The department is allocating $50 million and deploying staffers to help institutions adjust to the rocky FAFSA rollout. College leaders are underwhelmed.
After months of FAFSA delays and missteps, some colleges are sending students homemade aid forms and early offer estimates. That could be a risky gambit.
The money comes from a fund designated to pay off insurance claims and refund payments to borrowers, though the education secretary can authorize other uses.
The Education Department is dispensing money and advisers to help “underresourced” colleges navigate the new FAFSA. But which institutions will be eligible?
Colleges are pushing back admission deadlines after the latest FAFSA delay. But not all institutions will be affected equally, and many aren’t yet ready to make the call.
Colleges will not receive applicants’ federal aid information until March. They may be forced to push back commitment deadlines, and the delay could discourage low-income students from enrolling.
The new Free Application for Federal Student Aid form has been giving undocumented applicants and their families problems since its soft launch late last month…
After a frustrating year of delays, the new federal aid application launched Dec. 30. But maintenance pauses, glitches and other obstacles have led to a rocky start.
A major overhaul to the federal student aid form delayed its launch at least two months. That means headaches for everyone from financial aid officers to applicants.
