"The U.S. Department of Education announced further delays Tuesday in the already waylaid federal college financial aid application process," the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Experts caution the fresh delay will strain the college application and financial aid timeline for students. The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators blasted the postponement.

'On the very day that schools were expecting FAFSA applicant information, they were instead notified by the U.S. Department of Education that they shouldn’t expect to receive that data until March, at the earliest. These continued delays, communicated at the last minute, threaten to harm the very students and families that federal student aid is intended to help,' said the association’s President Justin Draeger, in a written statement.

In its Tuesday announcement acknowledging the delay, the Education Department mentioned work to update calculations to account for inflation, which it said will provide 'an additional $1.8 billion in aid.' Draeger, in a statement last week, said that change should have been done earlier.

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: 1/30/2024