On Wednesday, StudentAid.gov experienced significant outages affecting FAFSA processing, coinciding with drastic layoffs in the Department of Education under President Trump. Users reported difficulties completing financial aid applications, prompting concern from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. With staff cut by half, including crucial IT personnel, the department struggled to address the technical issues promptly. The layoffs have raised alarms about the department's capacity to maintain essential services such as student financial aid applications, underscoring potential operational vulnerabilities amidst systemic reductions.
Hundreds of users reported FAFSA outages to Downdetector starting midday Wednesday, saying they were having trouble completing the form, which is required for financial aid at colleges nationwide.
The maintenance and troubleshooting may be impacted by yesterday's layoffs, leading to major disruptions in the services provided by the Department of Education.
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