"As adults with federal student loans await new details about the widespread loan forgiveness program President Joe Biden announced Aug. 24, many journalists will be trying to answer questions such as: How much will the program cost? Who will benefit most? What could be the unintended consequences?" The Journalist's Resource writes. 

... "Financial Aid Offices Face Intensifying Staffing Challenges Amid Pandemic, National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, May 2022."

"This report examines the challenges college financial aid offices in the U.S. have faced trying to meet student needs amid the pandemic and staffing shortages."

"Months before Biden announced his massive loan forgiveness initiative, many financial aid offices already were in “crisis” mode, according to the report, compiled by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, a nonprofit organization representing more than 32,000 financial aid professionals at nearly 3,000 higher education institutions."

"The 69-page document discusses the results of two online surveys the organization conducted in March and May of 2022. Financial aid staff from 518 schools participated in the first survey and financial aid staff from 507 other institutions completed the second."

"'What we learned is simple: What was once a challenge — albeit a manageable one — has become a crisis for many institutional financial aid offices that are struggling to remain administratively capable and adequately serve students, whose own needs have increased in the last two years,' the authors write."

"About 41% of employees who were asked how easy or difficult it had been to fill vacant positions with qualified staff said it had been 'difficult.' Another 43% said it had been 'very difficult.'"

"Of the employees asked whether their office had the staffing and resources necessary to adequately administer federal financial aid programs, 46% of those working at public universities said no, as did 37% of those working at community colleges. Meanwhile, 38% of staff working at private, nonprofit institutions said they did not."

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: 9/1/2022