ED Announces Updates for Upcoming 2026-27 FAFSA Along With Beta Testing Plans June 24, 2025-The Department of Education (ED) has detailed two major updates for the 2026-27 FAFSA, with plans to enable real-time identity verification and a ‘simplified’ contributor invite process. The department, as a part of Monday’s an...
ED Begins Processing FAFSA Batch Corrections February 28, 2025-The Department of Education (ED) has begun processing batch corrections for both the 2024-25 and 2025-26 FAFSA cycles, having completed its beta testing period marking the first time that institutions will be able to utilize the process since the imp...
Public Comment Period Now Open for 2026-27 FAFSA February 5, 2025-The Department of Education (ED) on Tuesday announced via the Federal Register that the upcoming 2026-27 FAFSA is now open to public comment.
ED Shares Upcoming Technical Changes Impacting Recent FAFSA Cycles February 5, 2025-The Department of Education announced in a press release on Tuesday that the upcoming 2026-27 FAFSA form is on track for an October 1 launch date and that this cycle would see several changes to the form aimed at improving completion rates.
ED Announces New Report to Mitigate Additional NSLDS Postscreening Delays January 17, 2025-On Friday, the Department of Education (ED) issued a new electronic announcement (EA) as a follow-up to its January 10 announcement that NSLDS Postscreening Results would not appear on Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) until “ea...
Biden Administration Shares Timeline for Batch Corrections in Final FAFSA Update January 15, 2025-In its final FAFSA update for the Biden administration, the Department of Education (ED) provided additional details on the number of forms submitted for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 application cycles, the upcoming availability of batch corrections, and ...
ED Completes Beta Testing and Launches 2025-26 FAFSA November 22, 2024-The Department of Education (ED) officially launched the 2025-26 FAFSA on Thursday after completing an extensive testing process. Students and families will now also be able to access and submit a paper form.
Houses Passes FAFSA Deadline Act November 18, 2024-The House of Representatives on Friday morning passed the FAFSA Deadline Act, a bipartisan bill that would make October 1 the official launch date for the FAFSA each year.
2025-26 FAFSA Beta Testing Opens to All Students November 18, 2024-The Department of Education (ED) on Monday announced that beta testing for the 2025-26 FAFSA has officially expanded to all students, meaning that any student and their contributors will be able to complete the form ahead of the application’s p...
NASFAA Signs Onto Letter in Support of FAFSA Deadline Act November 14, 2024-NASFAA, along with other higher education organizations, signed onto a letter to House leadership in support of the FAFSA Deadline Act, which is currently on the House floor. If enacted the legislation would make October 1 the official launch date fo...
ED Releases Guidance on Access, Disclosure, and Use of FAFSA Data November 8, 2024-The Department of Education (ED) on Thursday released its long-awaited guidance via an electronic announcement on the sharing and usage of personal information from the FAFSA by institutions, state grant agencies, and contractors, beginning with the ...
Panel Explores How the 2024-25 FAFSA Impacted College Freshmen Enrollment October 31, 2024-Preliminary data shows a decline in college freshmen enrollment for the 2024-25 year, the first decline since the fall of 2020. However, this time, instead of a pandemic, a panel of experts tied the trend to the tumultuous rollout of the 2024-25 FAFS...
ED Provides Details on Technical Fixes to Both 2024-25 and 2025-26 FAFSA October 31, 2024-The Department of Education (ED) on Wednesday announced via an electronic announcement that it has implemented technical fixes to several “bugs” identified in both the 2024-25 FAFSA cycle and the current beta testing of the 2025-26 FAFSA.
ED Releases 2025-26 FAFSA Preview Presentation October 29, 2024-The Department of Education (ED) unveiled new reference tools, screenshots, and a presentation of the upcoming 2025-26 FAFSA to help partners prepare for staff training and financial aid nights.
Second Phase of Beta Testing Begins for 2025-26 FAFSA October 16, 2024-The Department of Education (ED) on Tuesday announced that the second phase of beta testing for the 2025-26 FAFSA has begun, with thousands of students now expected to begin submitting their forms.
ED Details Issues With 2024-25 Paper FAFSA Correction Functionality October 3, 2024-The Department of Education (ED) on Tuesday gave an update via an updated electronic announcement on the availability of the correction functionality for 2024-25 paper FAFSAs, which ED initially said would be available the “first half of August...
FSA ‘Working Quickly’ to Resolve Two Known ISIR Issues and Reprocess ISIRs September 27, 2024-Federal Student Aid (FSA) on Friday said that it was aware and “working quickly” to resolve two issues affecting 2024-25 Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) concerning conflicting tax information and assets for students or t...
GAO Calls on ED to Rebuild Trust in the FAFSA Process September 25, 2024-The Government Accountability Office (GAO) on Tuesday testified before the House Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee on the rollout of the 2024-25 FAFSA, and issued findings from two of the agency’s investigative reports out...
Cardona Sends Letter to College Presidents With 2025-26 FAFSA Progress, Updates September 24, 2024-Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Monday sent a letter to all college and university presidents with updates on the launch of the 2025-26 FAFSA. Along with the letter, the Department of Education (ED) published a white paper outlining the actions...
ED Publishes Verification Requirements for 2025-26 September 5, 2024-The Department of Education (ED) published the 2025-26 verification data elements and documentation requirements in the September 4, 2024 Federal Register (FR) and Dear Colleague Letter GEN-24-10, which also provided suggested text for verification. ...
ED Details Upcoming Testing and ‘Beta’ Period for the 2025-26 FAFSA August 28, 2024-The Department of Education (ED) on Tuesday provided further details on its framework and testing period for the upcoming 2025-26 FAFSA to identify and address possible errors with the form.
Virginia Secretary of Education Calls on ED to Address Issues With FAFSA August 26, 2024-Virginia Secretary of Education Aimee Rogstad Guidera, on Wednesday, sent a letter to the Department of Education (ED) calling on the department to prioritize overhauling and implementing the FAFSA for the 2025-26 cycle.
ED Publishes Request for Information for 2025-26 FAFSA Materials August 15, 2024-The Department of Education (ED) on Wednesday published in the Federal Register a Request for Information (RFI) regarding feedback on the ways in which they can improve “help text” and other materials for the upcoming 2025-26 FAFSA. The R...
ED Announces Plans for a ‘Phased Rollout’ of the Upcoming 2025-26 FAFSA August 7, 2024-The Department of Education (ED) on Wednesday gave more details about the upcoming launch of the 2025-26 FAFSA, and will begin a “phased rollout” of the form on October 1 to a limited set of students and institutions for testing. The form...
Inspector General Finds FSA Did Not Effectively Implement FTI Provisions in New FAFSA August 5, 2024-The Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) missed key steps when implementing federal tax information (FTI) provisions through the Student Aid and Borrower Eligibility Reform (SABER) initiative, according to a new audit from the Department of Education&...
Foxx Issues ED a Subpoena Citing a Lack of Responsiveness to the "Botched" FAFSA Rollout July 26, 2024-After multiple letters and an ongoing investigation, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, on Thursday issued a subpoena for information and documents from the Department of Education (ED) conc...
Republicans Press OIG for Updates on FAFSA Rollout Investigation July 15, 2024-Republican lawmakers on Wednesday urged the Department of Education’s (ED) Office of Inspector General (OIG) for updates on its investigation into the department’s rollout of the 2024-25 FAFSA, and details on the status of the planned lau...
Report: FAFSA Rollout Disproportionately Affected Low-Income Black and Latino Students July 3, 2024-The rollout of the 2024-25 FAFSA has been riddled with technical issues, errors, and glitches, and has ultimately led to nearly 300,000 fewer high school seniors completing the financial aid application this year — most of which come from low-i...
New Study Looks at States’ FAFSA Simplification Success Strategies June 26, 2024-While the rollout of the 2024-25 FAFSA has been tumultuous, a new case study took a look at four states and their successful strategies to implement and employ FAFSA completion initiatives for the ongoing cycle.
ED Releases Guidance on Resolving Conflicting Information June 17, 2024-The Department of Education (ED) via an electronic announcement on Monday released guidance on several instances where institutions are required to identify and resolve conflicting information and discrepant data on the 2024-25 FAFSA. The announcemen...
ED: Batch Institutional Corrections Will Become Available in 'First Half' of August June 17, 2024-The Department of Education (ED) on Monday gave several updates on the status of the 2024-25 FAFSA cycle, including that batch institutional corrections, as well as paper FAFSA corrections, will be available in the “first half” of August.
NASFAA Calls on ED to Commit to October 1 FAFSA Launch for 2025-26 Cycle June 12, 2024-There is still much work to be done with the current FAFSA rollout, but there is also a growing concern that ongoing delays could imperil the upcoming 2025-26 FAFSA, which is why NASFAA is urging the Department of Education (ED) to commit to the trad...
Republicans Say Department of Education Is 'Stonewalling' FAFSA Investigation June 4, 2024-Two top Republican lawmakers on Friday sent a letter to the Department of Education (ED) urging the department to “immediately comply” with the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) investigation on the rollout of the 2024-25 FAF...
Panel Highlights Concerns and Impacts of Delays in the FAFSA Timeline May 13, 2024-As many institutions begin sending out financial aid offers after a delayed rollout of the 2024-25 FAFSA, a panel on Thursday discussed how the higher education community got here, as well as the implications that this year’s FAFSA rollout has ...
ED Announces Completed Reprocessing of 'Nearly' All of Impacted ISIRs April 30, 2024-The Department of Education (ED) on Monday announced via an electronic announcement that it has delivered the reprocessed Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) of "nearly all" impacted records to institutions and states. Earlier in April,...
FSA Chief Richard Cordray to Step Down at the End of June April 29, 2024-Federal Student Aid (FSA) Chief Operating Officer Richard Cordray will formally step down from his role at the end of June, the Department of Education announced on Friday. The announcement came shortly before the expiration of Cordray’s three-...
"From a Hardship to a Crisis" - NASFAA Testifies on Current Status of the FAFSA Rollout April 11, 2024-In stark terms, NASFAA President & CEO Justin Draeger, along with other higher education experts, provided testimony to a House education subcommittee on Wednesday over the flawed rollout of the 2024-25 FAFSA, and detailed how Congress should wor...
ED Releases Details on Reprocessing ISIRs, FAFSA Student Corrections April 10, 2024-The Department of Education (ED) on Tuesday evening, provided more details on when institutions can expect to receive reprocessed FAFSA applicant records and when students will be able to make corrections to their FAFSAs. The EA did not address when ...
In Reversal, ED Plans to Reprocess FAFSA Records Impacted by Recent Errors April 5, 2024-The Department of Education (ED) announced in a blog post on Thursday that it plans to automatically reprocess all FAFSA records affected by the April 1 announcement, concerning tax data reported on Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs), ...
ED Releases More Details on List of Unaffected FAFSA Records April 4, 2024-The Department of Education (ED) on Wednesday provided more details on the list it plans to send to institutions of FAFSA records that are unaffected by any known errors.
ED Acknowledges Potential Issue Alert Flagged by Financial Aid Professionals April 1, 2024-Federal Student Aid (FSA) acknowledged on Friday that it is aware of reported issues from financial aid offices concerning tax data reported on Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) and is investigating those potential errors. Based on in...
ED Provides Updated Timeline on FAFSA Processing, Student Corrections March 26, 2024-The Department of Education (ED), in an electronic announcement posted on Monday, provided updated benchmarks for the 2024-25 FAFSA rollout, including timeframes for when students will be able to make corrections, when forms containing previously rep...
ED Identifies Technical Issue Related to ISIR Processing March 22, 2024-The Department of Education (ED) in an electronic announcement on Friday identified a miscalculation in the 2024-25 Student Aid Index (SAI) formula that could create more student aid packaging delays, the latest in a series of challenges in the rollo...
ED Provides Webinar Updates on 2024-25 ISIR Delivery and Transmission Support March 19, 2024-During a live webinar on Monday, officials from the Department of Education (ED) provided updates on the latest 2024-25 FAFSA delivery timeline, highlighted new resources, and answered common questions from the Institutional Student Information Recor...
ED Updates College Presidents on FAFSA Rollout, Urges Schools to Extend Decision Dates March 18, 2024-Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, in a letter to college presidents sent on Friday, provided updates on progress the department has made in implementing the 2024-25 FAFSA and outlined steps schools could take to be best prepared for processing appl...
ED Details ISIR Delivery Rollout, Updated Issue Alerts, and New FAFSA Functionality March 13, 2024-The Department of Education (ED), in an electronic announcement posted on Tuesday evening, informed stakeholders that the transmission of Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) formally began over the weekend and will gradually begin to ra...
Biden Signs Short-Term Spending Plan, Reversing ED's Update to the SAI Formula March 4, 2024-President Joe Biden on Friday signed another continuing resolution into law for fiscal year 2024 to avoid a partial government shutdown until at least March 22. However, this resolution also reversed the Department of Education's (ED) announcement la...
Department of Education Details ISIR Processing Approach in New Announcement March 4, 2024-The Department of Education (ED) on Monday doubled down on its commitment to begin transmitting FAFSA applicant information to colleges and universities in the first half of March, and provided more details on what schools, state higher education age...
Short-Term Funding Bill Would Rescind SAI Formula Change February 29, 2024-A draft continuing resolution (CR) released in the House of Representatives yesterday that would fund the federal government through March 22 and forestall a government shutdown would also rescind the Department of Education’s latest update to ...
ED Announces Update to SAI Formula, Release of 100 Additional Test ISIRs February 27, 2024-The Department of Education (ED) on Tuesday announced that it updated the Student Aid Index (SAI) formula in order to be "in full alignment with the FAFSA Simplification Act," just weeks before institutions are expected to begin receiving Institution...
ED Releases Additional Batch of Test ISIRs and Testing Tools February 16, 2024-The Department of Education (ED) announced via electronic announcement on Friday that the first batch of test Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) are now available for institutions and software providers. The department committed to the...
ED Announces Verification Relief and Additional Flexibilities to Ease FAFSA-Related Burden February 13, 2024-The Department of Education (ED), in an electronic announcement posted on Tuesday morning, detailed its latest efforts to help institutions of higher education prepare for the 2024-25 FAFSA rollout, namely by reducing verification requirements, suspe...
NASFAA Seeks Emergency Corps of Consultants to Help Severely Under-Resourced Schools February 7, 2024-The Department of Education (ED) on Monday announced a new initiative, the “FAFSA College Support Strategy,” to assist the most in-need, resource-constrained schools prepare for the 2024-25 FAFSA rollout. NASFAA stands at the ready to mee...
Letter on FAFSA Rollout and Delays January 31, 2024-NASFAA National Chair Helen Faith and President Justin Draeger outline where we are with the FAFSA launch & delays and provide resources & guidance for the financial aid community.
ED Announces 2024-25 FAFSA Inflation Adjustments, But How and When Remains Unclear January 23, 2024-The Department of Education (ED) on Tuesday announced that it will update the tables used to protect a portion of a family’s income and assets from being considered in the Student Aid Index (SAI) by inflation-adjusted amounts. However, the depa...
Cassidy: 2024-25 FAFSA 'Has Not Gone Well' January 16, 2024-Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, criticized the Department of Education (ED) in a letter on Friday for its “botched” rollout of the 2024-25 FAFSA.
Missouri Hosts Week of Action to Help Students and Families With New FAFSA January 8, 2024-As students and families across the country begin to fill out their 2024-25 FAFSA, the Missouri Association of Student Financial Aid Personnel (MASFAP) is hosting a state-wide week of action to answer questions they may have about the new application...
First Reactions and NASFAA’s Coverage of the 2024-25 FAFSA Soft Launch January 4, 2024-With the start of the New Year, the higher education community hit the ground running as the Department of Education initiated its soft launch of the 2024-25 FAFSA over the weekend. Since the launch, applicants have been reporting glitches and compla...
ED Initiates 2024-25 FAFSA Soft Launch, With Periodic Maintenance Outages December 31, 2023-The Department of Education this weekend has begun its soft launch of the overhauled 2024-25 FAFSA, during which time the application will be available to students and families periodically as the department pulls the form down from time to time to p...
ED Announces Plans for 2024-25 FAFSA “Soft Launch” December 15, 2023-The Department of Education (ED) in a notice published on Friday afternoon announced — with no specific timeline — that the days before and after December 31 will serve as a period to “monitor and respond in real time to potential i...