"Historically, high school seniors and college students would begin filing their federal student aid forms in the fall. This is the second year that a delayed application launch will affect students," The Sacramento Bee reports.

..."While another round of delays could cause frustration for students, experts like Jill Desjean are 'a lot more optimistic' that the FAFSA will work this way around. Desjean serves as the senior policy analyst at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

'We know it is two months late, and that is not ideal,' Desjean said. 'But if it’s fully functional, if every piece of it works, and every time a student or a parent has to go in and they actually can complete their FAFSA quickly, without too much trouble to submit it on the first try, that’s a win.'

An attempt to simplify FAFSA

Desjean hopes this year is less disruptive than the prior application period. This delay is because the FAFSA had to be essentially recreated, she added.

'The narrative has always been: It’s hard to apply for financial aid, and it’s true,' Desjean said. 'The form was long, it was complicated and discouraged a lot of people from even bothering. The whole point behind this simplification effort is to make it easier, and it is going to be easier.'"

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: 10/15/2024