"Republicans already livid with the Biden administration for sinking the college admissions season into turmoil with a bungled financial aid rollout are jabbing Education Secretary Miguel Cardona for trying to spread the blame," POLITICO reports.

... "The Education Department also pushed out several software updates since February, including one as late as March 11, according to Karen McCarthy, vice president of public policy and federal relations at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. Schools continue to also navigate long wait times to get help from the Education Department. Some institutions reported that test versions of the student information records sent earlier this month by the department weren’t sufficient to make sure their systems were ready."

"The first batch of real ISIRs were pushed out on March 10, and the department’s ramp-up only started this week."

"'We are assuming that the secretary doesn’t mean to infer that FAFSA delays are due to institutions,' McCarthy said. 'Institutions are really moving as quickly as they can. … Financial aid offices are scrambling to get all of the pieces together. … They’re trying to do six months of work in a matter of weeks at this point.'"

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: 3/22/2024