"Hard-pressed college administrators got some welcome news last Thursday, when the Education Department announced an abrupt about-face," Inside Higher Ed reports.

..."Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), said on the organization’s podcast Thursday that the department is facing 'a crisis of credibility,' particularly after a chaotic week in which the department began by offering more details about the tax issue. Seemingly in response to the escalating criticisms, the department began sharing daily updates last week about the FAFSA on a new blog.

Initially, on Monday, the department said it only planned to reprocess and correct ISIRs for students who would receive less financial aid because of the error—about 5 percent of the processed applications. It would be left to colleges to individually flag other files for reprocessing—a time-consuming activity for administrators already racing against the clock. After an outcry from college administrators, the department had reversed its plan by Thursday.

'We’re happy with the result, but why on Monday couldn’t they tell us that they would reprocess them all?' asked Jill Desjean, a senior policy analyst with NASFAA. 'It’s when the story changes, it’s really hard to trust what’s coming out.'"

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: 4/8/2024