"The University of California admitted its largest and most diverse class to date, increasing the number of California residents, underrepresented students, and community college transfers into the fall 2024 admissions, according to preliminary data released Wednesday. The admissions come after an application season in which a flaw in a new financial aid form released this year left millions of students across the country scrambling for monetary relief," The Santa Barbara Independent reports. 

... "This year’s application process, however, was defined by significant challenges associated with the launch of a new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) system. The flawed rollout of the new financial aid system, labeled as a 'crisis of credibility for the Department of Education' by Justin Draeger — the president and CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators — created significant delays in the filing and processing of student information to assess aid eligibility."

"The nation’s top student aid official, Richard Cordray, stepped down in April after the disastrous debut impacted millions of students. The launch revealed an array of bugs and data errors that locked students out of the application software and displayed incorrect financial calculations."

"'We are in an awful place today,' Draeger stated in a House subcommittee hearing earlier this year. As hundreds of students have not yet filed their FAFSA forms, campuses are still unsure how many students will ultimately enroll."

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: 7/31/2024