NASFAA Signs Onto Letter Urging Congress to Strengthen the FAFSA Process

By Hugh T. Ferguson, NASFAA Managing Editor

NASFAA on Wednesday signed onto a letter calling on Congress to consider specific proposals that would improve the financial aid system by strengthening the FAFSA process and ensure that implementation of these provisions do not cause future FAFSA delays.

In response to the delays associated with the 2024-25 FAFSA rollout, the letter calls on Congress to enable institutions to opt in to transfer up to 100% of their unexpended Federal Work-Study dollars to the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) program, similar to flexibilities that were offered to institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The letter also calls on Congress to conduct a long-term, publicly available, assessment of the ways in which this cycle’s FAFSA delays have impacted students, particularly those who are low-income, and institutions.

Further the letter also calls for Congress to include clear “hold harmless” statutory language to protect institutions who followed ED’s packaging guidance for Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs), move the statutory deadline of the FAFSA to October 1 instead of January 1, conduct an assessment of how the inclusion of family farm and small business assets impacted student aid index (SAI) calculations, reduce income verification, and more.

Read all the recommendations in the full letter.

Publication Date: 5/24/2024

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NASFAA Signs Onto Letter Urging Congress to Strengthen the FAFSA Process

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