Education Dept. May Miss Oct. 1 Deadline for Redesigned FAFSA Form
"The Education Department may miss the Oct. 1 deadline for launching its redesigned Free Application for Federal Student Aid, raising the ire of advocates who say a delay could be detrimental to students from lower-income households," The Washington Post reports.
"Speaking at a National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators conference Tuesday, a senior department official said the agency is working hard to carry out a bipartisan law simplifying and easing requirements for the FAFSA form but could not commit to the form’s traditional launch date.
'We are, as I said, deep in the thick of it,' Melanie Storey, director of policy implementation and oversight at Federal Student Aid, told conference attendees Tuesday. 'But right now ... we’re not committing to a launch date this fall. We are moving toward it as aggressively as we can. But I can assure you that we will launch in the fourth quarter of 2023.'"
..."But the assurances are being met with disappointment from college access and aid groups, which have grown frustrated with delays in one of the most significant changes to how students apply for federal financial aid.
'A FAFSA delay is a step backward for students and families,' said Justin Draeger, president of NASFAA. 'A number of colleges and universities begin sending out financial aid offers in November and December to get families the information they need to make college-going decisions as soon as possible.'
Because the formula behind the FAFSA is also changing, he said, many schools will be reluctant to provide estimates of institutional financial aid packages before the redesign is completed."
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Publication Date: 2/7/2023
