Millions of American students rely on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to afford college. The financial aid form is required for any student seeking federal loans or grants and is used by most colleges offering their own financial aid.
However, this year’s rollout of the form has proved a logistical nightmare, with persistent technical glitches making filling out the form all but impossible for thousands of students. Adding to the chaos, the Education Department announced last week that FAFSA forms from around 200,000 applicants will need to be recalculated, leaving students—and the colleges that admitted them—in limbo.
Last week’s announcement was only the latest in a string of hiccups The current crisis stems from an effort to streamline the form. In 2020, Congress required FAFSA to be simplified as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act. A simplified form was released on December 31,…
