#fafsa
#fafsa

NY state will require students to complete FAFSA or waiver

New York State will require high school seniors to complete FAFSA, a similar aid form, or opt-out waiver, part of the 2024-25 budget. [ more ]

The Atlantic

2 weeks ago

How the Biden Administration Messed Up FAFSA

Debacle with FAFSA rollout led to awarding inaccurate financial aid, prompting concerns about program integrity and stewardship of taxpayer funds. [ more ]

time.com

2 weeks ago

A Botched FAFSA Rollout Leaves Aspiring College Students Worried About the Future

FAFSA's botched rollout causing chaos and delays for college students. [ more ]

www.mercurynews.com

Opinion: Struggling to get help with college through the FAFSA? Don't give up

Applicants facing challenges with FAFSA application process, especially in California for first-generation or immigrant families.

The U.S. Department of Education is working on solutions for families with unique circumstances like no Social Security number. [ more ]

Los Angeles Times

Opinion: Struggling to get help with college through the FAFSA? Here's why you shouldn't give up

Many students and families are struggling with the new FAFSA application process in California.

California students with parents/spouses lacking Social Security numbers are facing particular difficulties with FAFSA. [ more ]

moreEducation

education-department

Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs

Lawmakers, Experts Vent FAFSA Frustrations

Disarray in FAFSA launch

Calls for accountability in Biden administration handling [ more ]

Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs

After FAFSA issues, Education Department faces "crisis of credibility"

College administrators faced challenges with FAFSA application processing delays and errors.

Confidence in the Education Department among college administrators, students, and families has been shaken. [ more ]

Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs

House committee to hold hearing on FAFSA issues

The House is holding a hearing to examine the impact of the new FAFSA roll-out on students, families, and colleges.

Lawmakers are criticizing the Education Department for poor communication and errors leading to delays in financial aid processing. [ more ]

www.npr.org

Ed Department error may delay student financial aid further

200,000 applicants facing delays in receiving financial aid award letters

Financial aid process behind schedule due to errors in calculations and slow FAFSA rollout. [ more ]

www.nytimes.com

Inside the Blunders That Plunged the College Admission Season Into Disarray

Emergency efforts were made by Education Department to process 70,000 financial aid emails before a deadline.

Blunders in revamping the FAFSA form caused delays, leaving students and schools in limbo. [ more ]

WSJ

A Financial-Aid Form Is Upending College Decisions

The new Fafsa was designed to be faster and simpler.

The revamped Fafsa is causing delays and technical glitches, causing frustration for families and schools. [ more ]

moreeducation-department

Los Angeles Times

Caught up in the FAFSA chaos? Some seniors now have a workaround

The chaotic rollout of the new FAFSA form has resulted in delays and glitches, especially impacting low-income families without Social Security numbers.

California offers an alternative option for U.S. citizen students with parents lacking Social Security numbers to apply for financial aid through the California Dream Act Application. [ more ]

www.npr.org

This year, colleges must choose between fast financial aid offers, or accurate ones

College financial aid packages delayed due to FAFSA issues

Some colleges sending provisional aid offers to students [ more ]

Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs

States bristle at federal plea to push financial aid deadlines

The rocky FAFSA rollout has led to many states pushing back local scholarship application deadlines.

Education Secretary urges states to move aid deadlines and budget for potential increases in state grant aid due to FAFSA changes. [ more ]

www.npr.org

This year it's a slow crawl to financial aid packages for students

The U.S. Department of Education revamped FAFSA to simplify it, but delays have caused confusion and hindered aid packages distribution.

Many colleges are receiving far fewer FAFSA applications than expected, delaying the financial aid process. [ more ]

english.elpais.com

Education Department starts sending financial aid data to colleges after months of delays

Delays in federal data delivery impacting financial aid offers for colleges

FAFSA overhaul aiming to simplify form and expand federal student aid [ more ]

Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs

Plunge in FAFSA completion could spark an enrollment crisis

State leaders and organizations are urgently pushing for FAFSA submissions before high school graduation.

Counselors and students are facing challenges leading to potential significant FAFSA submission drops and enrollment declines. [ more ]

www.mercurynews.com

Bay Area students stressed by tumultuous FAFSA rollout

FAFSA application released months late with technical glitches

FAFSA submissions down by over 41% [ more ]

www.npr.org

Yet another FAFSA problem: non-citizens can't fill it out

High school seniors with parents who are not citizens are experiencing difficulties completing the FAFSA due to technical errors and lack of assistance.

These students rely on federal financial aid and scholarships to make college affordable, but are being hindered by the FAFSA errors. [ more ]

Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs

Five percent of FAFSAs will have to be reprocessed, ED says

Around 320,000 FAFSA forms need to be reprocessed due to tax data inconsistencies.

The errors primarily affect FAFSA applicants eligible for education tax credits, with implications on aid eligibility. [ more ]

www.npr.org

FAFSA delays put pressure on overstretched school counselors

The FAFSA roll-out delay is impacting students and guidance counselors

The delayed form contained errors like not accounting for inflation which could delay award letters [ more ]

www.npr.org

Exclusive: The Education Department says it will fix its $1.8 billion FAFSA mistake

The FAFSA, which determines financial aid for students, is months behind schedule and contains a billion-dollar mistake.

The U.S. Education Department plans to fix the mistake in time for the 2024-25 award year, and $1.8 billion in federal student aid is at stake. [ more ]

Nextgov.com

Education Dept. debuts simpler online financial aid form, but users face a restricted rollout

The Education Department has launched an updated version of the FAFSA application, but is currently in a soft launch phase to resolve any issues and make updates.

The new form allows users to opt for a direct transfer of their tax information from the IRS into the application, making the process easier. [ more ]

Sacramento Bee

Applying for student aid in California? What to know about new FAFSA form and deadlines

The 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is back with a soft launch. The form will only be available periodically while technical updates are made.

The soft launch has been frustrating for students, families, and financial aid administrators due to glitches and other issues. [ more ]

The Atlantic

Colleges Are Facing an Enrollment Nightmare

The simplification of the FAFSA form aimed to increase college attendance by reducing complexity and paperwork.

Implementation issues have created major obstacles in the financial aid application process for high school seniors. [ more ]

Washington Post

As colleges receive FAFSA records, some ask: 'How do we trust this data?'

Colleges facing technical problems with FAFSA data processing

Concerns about accuracy and delays in financial aid processing [ more ]

Sacramento Bee

California extends FAFSA application period. Here's when it's due, and available resources

FAFSA priority deadline extended for California students.

Assembly Bill 1887 signed by Gov. Newsom allows extension for FAFSA completion. [ more ]

San Jose Inside

California Extends Student Financial Aid Deadline to May 2

Lawmakers fast-tracked bill to extend state financial aid deadline from April 2 to May 2 due to federal FAFSA glitch affecting students.

Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes led the effort to provide more time for affected students to access over $3 billion in state aid. [ more ]

Los Angeles Times

College financial aid extension in the works for California students hurt by FAFSA mess

California lawmakers are considering extending the deadline for college financial aid applications by a month.

The bill aims to make higher education more accessible and affordable by addressing issues at the federal level. [ more ]

Kqed

Mixed-Status Student Completing FAFSA? What to Do While Glitches Are Fixed | KQED

FAFSA glitch affecting mixed-status families causing stress for students and families

Need for alternative steps for students or families affected by FAFSA glitches [ more ]

www.npr.org

Guidance counselors are strained amid FAFSA delays

Delayed FAFSA rollout causing confusion for students and counselors

Mistake in FAFSA calculation may delay financial aid decision [ more ]

ABC7 San Francisco

Department of Education takes steps to speed up financial aid awards after bumpy FAFSA rollout

The Department of Education is taking steps to speed up college financial aid awards for the upcoming school year after a bumpy rollout of the new FAFSA.

The new FAFSA form, which is expected to make more students eligible for financial aid, has faced delays in availability and transferring financial information to colleges. [ more ]

ABC7 San Francisco

Colleges won't receive FAFSA data until March | Here's what that means for students

Colleges won't start receiving students' financial aid data from the FAFSA until March, frustrating students waiting to make college enrollment decisions.

The delay is due to major changes made to the FAFSA, including an entirely new formula and process. [ more ]

Cbsnews

FAFSA delay putting pressure on prospective, current college students

FAFSA data won't be sent out to schools for more than a month, causing delays in the financial aid process.

The delay in releasing the crucial financial data has the biggest impact on prospective students and compresses an already tight timeline to get financial aid packets out. [ more ]

www.nytimes.com

Colleges Won't Get FAFSA Data Until March, Delaying Aid Offers

The troubled rollout of the new FAFSA form and revision of the formula for determining federal financial aid has led to a delay in transmitting data to schools until early March.

Many schools rely on FAFSA to determine institutional grants, so the delay hampers their ability to offer accurate price quotes to students.

Low-income students are particularly affected by the delay, as a difference of a few thousand dollars can determine their ability to start or finish school. [ more ]

Los Angeles Times

Feds move to ease FAFSA financial aid chaos, but no quick fix emerges

The rollout of the FAFSA form has been trouble-plagued, resulting in a steep drop in submissions.

The Department of Education has announced steps to streamline the financial aid process, including reducing identity verification and program reviews. [ more ]

Secret NYC

FAFSA Financial Aid Forms May Soon Be Required For NY High School Students

New legislation proposed in New York may require all students to complete the FAFSA form before graduation in an effort to boost college access.

Completing the FAFSA form increases the likelihood of attending college directly after high school graduation by 127%.

The U.S. Department of Education is updating the FAFSA form to have fewer questions and expanded eligibility. [ more ]

Washington Post

Colleges, students and states reeling from FAFSA setbacks

The new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) was intended to be a simpler and faster process for students to access financial aid for college.

However, technical glitches and a failure to update a crucial income formula have caused delays and incorrect estimates of aid, leaving students and colleges in limbo.

Some worry that the delays and glitches of the new FAFSA may discourage prospective students from completing the form altogether. [ more ]

www.bostonherald.com

More FAFSA delays likely to slow aid and college decisions

Financial aid offers for college students will be delayed due to processing delays with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Colleges may need to rethink their decision deadlines to allow students more time to consider aid packages. [ more ]

www.npr.org

A new FAFSA setback means many college financial aid offers won't come until April

The U.S. Department of Education has announced a delay in sending FAFSA data to schools, pushing the timeline to the first half of March.

This delay puts colleges in a difficult position as they cannot determine financial aid packages without the FAFSA data. [ more ]

www.npr.org

Exclusive: The Education Department says it will fix its $1.8 billion FAFSA mistake

This year's FAFSA is months behind schedule and includes a mistake that would have cost students $1.8 billion in federal student aid.

The U.S. Education Department has confirmed that they will fix the FAFSA mistake in time for the 2024-2025 award year.

The mistake would make some students and families appear to have more income than they really do, resulting in less financial aid. [ more ]

www.npr.org

US news

Families, colleges remain in limbo as the Education Department promises to fix FAFSA

The U.S. Department of Education will fix a serious mistake with this year's Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Families and college financial aid offices are concerned about the impact of this mistake on students' financial aid applications. [ more ]

San Jose Spotlight

Dewan: FAFSA changes could make it easier for families to get aid for college costs - San Jose Spotlight

Financial aid applications for college help families manage college costs.

High schools in California are required to verify completion of financial aid applications.

The FAFSA form now integrates tax data and the eligibility formula has changed. [ more ]

www.npr.org

The FAFSA rollout has been rough on students. The biggest problem is yet to come

The new FAFSA form launched on Dec. 30, 2023, with limited access, but applicants now have 24-hour access.

This year's FAFSA form has a mistake that will lower the amount of federal financial aid many receive.

The U.S. Department of Education is considering whether to fix the mistake in time for this year's applicants, which could further delay college aid offers but also provide more help to students. [ more ]

time.com

What to Know About Changes to This Year's FAFSA Application for College Students

Limited availability of the new FAFSA application for the 2024-2025 school year has caused frustration for students and families.

The Department of Education hopes to keep the application open for longer periods as it resolves issues with the new form. [ more ]

www.npr.org

FAFSA delays are straining families and colleges

The release of this year's FAFSA form has been delayed and has only been available on a limited basis, causing frustration for students and families.

The soft launch period allows the U.S. Education Department to monitor site performance and make updates to the form for a better user experience. [ more ]

www.npr.org

5 months ago

The updated federal student aid form has been simplified

The federal student aid form, FAFSA, will reopen with major changes later this month.

The new version of FAFSA is shorter and easier to fill out, with integrated IRS data for financial information. [ more ]

www.nytimes.com