"The Education Department rang in the new year by finally releasing a long-awaited new version of its application for federal student aid—sort of," Inside Higher Ed reports.

... "That announcement drew the ire and consternation of everyone from counselors to financial aid officers, whose fears about the form’s reliability appear to have been confirmed in the first few days of the year."

"'Even by soft-launch standards, this weekend’s rollout was challenging and students, families, and financial aid administrators who have been waiting for this release for months are understandably frustrated,' Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, said in a statement Tuesday. 'Until we know more details about when schools will begin receiving finalized applicant data, schools cannot provide realistic timelines about when students and families will receive financial aid offers.'"

... "Jill Desjean, senior policy analyst at NASFAA, agreed that the rollout has been challenging. The site has been down “a good amount,” she said, and even families that are able to access the website have reported being unable to complete and submit the FAFSA."

"She added that the soft launch will likely last weeks or even longer, potentially running right up to the end of the month, when the department promised it would send applicant data to colleges."

"'I hope students don’t give up,' she said. 'Keep checking studentaid.gov. Try at odd hours when volume is a little lower. I just worry about people getting frustrated and quitting. The whole idea behind this simplification effort was to make it easier, so people wouldn’t give up.'"

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: 1/3/2024