Pace of FAFSA Simplification Concerning

"The long-awaited simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid should be open next fall, but financial aid administrators and college access advocates are skeptical that the U.S. Department of Education can meet that deadline," Inside Higher Ed reports.

..."The overhaul of the financial aid system that changes how students apply for financial aid and how that aid is disbursed has been in the works for years, but the final stages come amid a busy time for the department’s student aid office. The department is rolling out a debt-relief program for more than 40 million Americans, revamping the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program and resuming student loan repayments in January, among other projects.

'In the best of circumstances, schools will be stressed about the department’s ability to pull this off,' said Justin Draeger, president and CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. 'I would say we are not under the best of circumstances.'

Draeger said NASFAA and its members have a host of questions for the department on the simplification process and what will happen over the next two years, including whether the department is still planning to carry out the act in the 2024–25 award year and when guidance on the different provisions will be released.

Draeger and others involved said simplifying the FAFSA and making the other changes in the FAFSA Simplification Act are as important as the administration’s other priorities—and those actions have far-reaching consequences. Millions of students fill out the form every year, which is the key to unlocking federal financial aid as well as need-based state and institutional aid.

'For millions of students, the FAFSA is the gateway to whether they can afford to go to college,' Draeger said. 'Changes to this form reverberate throughout the entire country, and it also impacts the data that schools collect.'"

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: 10/10/2022

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