FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Allie Arcese
Director of Communications, NASFAA
(202) 785-6954
[email protected]

WASHINGTON, D.C., JANUARY 2, 2024 — The Department of Education over the weekend began its soft launch of the overhauled 2024-25 FAFSA, during which time the application was available to students and families for limited periods of time as the department pulled the form down from time to time to address ongoing operational issues. 

The Department announced plans for a soft launch in mid-December, noting that during this time, students and families that do access the form will not need to resubmit the form once the soft launch ends. The department has not specified how long the soft launch will last, nor when the planned pauses will take place.

Over the last few days, the FAFSA form has been available for extremely limited windows, while users have reported glitches and other issues in completing the application.

In response to the limited availability and reported glitches during the soft launch, NASFAA President Justin Draeger issued the following statement: 

"Even by soft-launch standards, this weekend’s rollout was challenging and students, families, and financial aid administrators who have been waiting for this release for months are understandably frustrated. 

Frustration will likely continue because even if students fill out the FAFSA today, we still don’t have an exact date of when schools will receive FAFSA applicant data, so financial aid administrators can begin building and communicating financial aid packages.

We know the Department of Education is working to bring the FAFSA online 24/7, but until that happens, and until we know more details about when schools will begin receiving finalized applicant data, schools cannot provide realistic timelines about when students and families will receive financial aid offers.”

NASFAA policy experts are available to speak to members of the media about the FAFSA roll-out. To set up an interview, please email NASFAA Director of Communications Allie Arcese or call (202) 785-6954.

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About NASFAA
The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) is a nonprofit membership organization that represents more than 29,000 financial aid professionals at approximately 3,000 colleges, universities, and career schools across the country. NASFAA member institutions serve nine out of every 10 undergraduates in the U.S. Based in Washington, D.C., NASFAA is the only national association with a primary focus on student aid legislation, regulatory analysis, and training for financial aid administrators.