"The botched launch of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA), which has disrupted college admissions deadlines and shaken confidence in the Education Department, came under scrutiny Wednesday on Capitol Hill," Inside Higher Ed reports.

..."Justin Draeger, president of the NASFAA, said the issues with the roll-out have created a crisis of credibility for the department and paralyzed colleges and universities.

'When you have a crisis of credibility issue, schools don’t trust that more errors won’t be found, that guidance won’t change tomorrow, or that the data they have is correct,' Draeger said. 'Schools are trying to figure out what to do: Not because ED is purposefully misleading anyone, but because ED itself may not know where all of the issues lie.'

Draeger and other witnesses used their opening remarks to detail the series of errors and delays that have defined the roll-out. That includes the department’s Jan. 30 announcement that it wouldn’t be sending students’ financial aid information to colleges until March. That information is usually sent to colleges within 1 to 3 days after a student completes the form.

'January 30, 2024, will be a day that lives in the collective trauma of most financial aid offices across this country,' Draeger said. 'January 30 wasn’t the first day of bad news, by far. But it was the straw that broke the camel’s back that turned this hardship into a crisis.'"

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: 4/10/2024