"In a rare moment of bipartisanship, both Democrats and Republicans united in expressing frustration during a Wednesday hearing about the Department of Education’s credibility crisis over its mishandling of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid forms," Desert News reports.

..."Directing his first question to Justin Draeger, president and CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, Owens asked why the Education Department “continues to downplay the problems with FAFSA” despite concerns from advocacy groups and experts.

Draeger said he, too, raised his worries about FAFSA missing deadlines early on and working without a roadmap in place. He urged the committee to tap into Congress’ oversight function to attain answers from the Education Department, which faces a 'crisis of credibility.'

Owens later told the Deseret News his committee plans to question Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, who recently wrote a letter to governors encouraging them to ask schools to postpone financial aid decisions, as well as Federal Student Aid CEO Richard Cordray. The Utah congressman pointed to Cordray’s lack of experience for the job, considering his former employment as the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Draegar said his organization of financial aid professionals conducted a poll in recent weeks and found 'a good number of institutions who are unsure whether they will be able to ... send aid offers before May 1, which is the traditional date by which schools ask students to decide where they’ll be attending.'

'A lot of schools have already pushed that date back,' he said."

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: 4/11/2024