After FAFSA difficulties, Maryland college aid system down in another obstacle for students

BALTIMORE -- After the troubled rollout of the new FAFSA application, Students in Maryland are facing another obstacle. The Maryland College Aid Processing System website, also known as MDCaps, is temporarily down.

The U.S. Department of Education introduced an overhaul of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid , known as FAFSA, this year. The form is now shorter and simpler, but computer glitches led to a botched rollout.

Maryland's higher education system cites several issues it's facing transitioning MDCaps to the FAFSA form's federal changes.

Some problems include uploading completed MHEC One applications, inconsistencies in award amounts and errors with the document management process.

But officials say relief should be on the way as institutions have already started processing new students.

So to fix these issues and incorporate all new records received into the system to make awards, MHEC temporarily shut down the MDCaps website on Monday.

With the extended priority deadline to submit the FAFSA form passed and the final deadline on June 1, Assistant Director of Financial Aid at Morgan State University Tajah Pettway says the obstacle shouldn't be impacting too many students at this time.

"I feel like we're at the finish line with all this craziness," Pettway said. "Don't get me wrong, there's still things coming down the pipeline from the department, or, you know, different things around applications. But I think we're getting there, so hopefully with this shutdown, this is them actually making their mass awards, so that way, the students will see what they have."

The MDCaps website notes it will be back up and running tomorrow at 3 p.m.

Officials say the goal is to quickly award initial and renewal students who completed the FAFSA or MHEC One app by last week's priority deadline.