FAFSA applications delayed again by couple of months

The Department of Education is delaying the full release of the FAFSA application until Dec. 1,  two months after the original deadline.

This decision comes as the education department faced errors processing students’ financial aid information back in April, pushing back the timeline to grant students their award letter well past the May 1 deadline to commit to a college.

Now, the department has decided to push back the availability of FAFSA to December in order to prevent mass errors and mistakes. A small number of students will receive a test form on Oct. 1, and others will in November.

“We heard that the product should be tested and working fully before parts are rolled out,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona told reporters.

Last year, the department did a total overhaul of the FAFSA form in an effort to streamline the process for students and parents applying for financial aid. However, the new forms weren’t released until the end of December 2023 — two months past when FAFSA normally begins.

And now, FAFSA forms will be delayed again for the second year in a row.

Meanwhile, House lawmakers have pushed forward a bill that would make the Oct. 1 deadline mandatory.

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Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) has called the FAFSA delays unacceptable.

“We saw last year that colleges cannot create financial aid packages without timely FAFSA information,” Cassidy said. “Many students may forgo college when they cannot choose a school because they do not know their eligibility for student aid.”