"Since its rollout at the end of December, the 2024-25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid has run into a number of speed bumps," CNBC reports.

... "'Once [financial aid offices] get this information from the Department of Education in March, they’ll be doing everything possible to get their financial aid offers out the door as quickly as possible,' Jill Desjean, senior policy analyst at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, told CNBC Make It."

"'Students and families should keep in mind that, although the current circumstances are certainly stressful, everyone applying for financial aid is in the same situation.'"

... "'If you’re among the students who are still struggling to complete the FAFSA because of the unresolved bugs in the system, it’s a good idea to document your attempts and let your financial aid office know why you can’t submit the FAFSA so they know it’s not a matter of you ignoring what needs to be done but, rather, an inability to do it,' Desjean said."

"Students who have filed their applications, however, have done pretty much all they can do at this point."

"'If you’ve already been able to submit your FAFSA, the wait-and-see approach is probably best,' Desjean said in an email. 'There isn’t any information your school can provide until March when they start receiving that information from the Department of Education.'"

"Desjean’s organization, along with several others, have called on colleges to extend their enrollment and aid deadlines to help ensure students and their families can make the best decisions for their financial situations."

... "'Once FAFSAs arrive, [schools] still need to conduct systems testing and budget modeling before they can make financial aid decisions. So it will still be at least several weeks before they can start sending out financial aid offers to students,' Desjean said. 'Schools will presumably be prioritizing incoming student financial aid decisions, so continuing students might be waiting ever longer.'"

NASFAA's "Notable Headlines" section highlights media coverage of financial aid to help members stay up to date with the latest news. Articles included under the notable headlines section are not written by NASFAA, but rather by external sources. Inclusion in Today's News does not imply endorsement of the material or guarantee the accuracy of information presented.

Publication Date: 2/8/2024