The Biden administration's botched roll out of the new financial aid application system for students and their families has resulted in colleges pushing back admissions deadlines.
The Biden administration's rollout of a new system for college students and their families to access federal financial aid has prompted a government watchdog to open two new investigations into the botched overhaul. A bipartisan omnibus spending bill enacted in December 2020 included legislation aimed at reforming and streamlining the process for submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid ahead of the 2024-25 award year.
In years past, FAFSA applications for the following year would open to students and families in October with institutions typically processing those applications in January to give students time ahead of institutions' enrollment deadlines in May to evaluate their situation and make the best decision for them based on the financial aid package offered to them earlier in the spring.
Del Pilar also noted that there remains a glitch in the system that the Education Department is trying to fix that affects students from households with one parent who is a U.S. citizen and another who is not. Students in that cohort have been unable to complete the FAFSA because the bug doesn't allow them to proceed through the application process.