With the variety of accomplished federal financial aid applications still at a record low, the U.S. Department of Education has launched a $50 million grant program to encourage more students to fill out its troubled forms.
“We are committed to closing the gap in FAFSA completion,” said Assistant Secretary of Education Cindy Marten. “The funding we’re announcing today will help states, districts and community-based groups construct capability and leverage their power to make sure that every student who needs help paying for faculty submits their FAFSA. “
For the primary time in greater than 40 years, the Department of Education has released a revision to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to make it easier for college students to use for and qualify for financial aid.
But what followed was a bureaucratic nightmare that affected tens of millions of scholars and 1000’s of faculties as many students were unable to finish and submit the shape as a consequence of problems with the applying.
To compound the issue, colleges and universities didn’t receive their students' FAFSA information from the Department of Education until late March. And additional errors within the calculations meant that a whole lot of 1000’s of previously submitted forms needed to be reprocessed.
Since January, greater than 30 issues have been reported with the brand new application. As of May, greater than a dozen issues remain and lots of students still haven’t been capable of submit their applications.
The money announced Monday comes too late to assist many students applying to school this fall, but should provide some relief for those applying next 12 months. The latest FAFSA student aid strategy provides as much as $50 million to scholarship recipients and is implemented by the Educational Credit Management Corporation, a Minnesota-based nonprofit organization that monitors student loan repayment and provides financial education.
The announcement also comes on the heels of a congressional hearing titled “FAFSA Fail,” where the Republican chairman of the House Higher Education Subcommittee, Rep. Burgess Owens of Utah, said the help proposal's “botched implementation” could hurt colleges and universities Upsetting a 20% drop in enrollment this 12 months.
Mark Kantrowitz, president of Cerebly, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in student financial aid, said on the hearing that “college enrollment declines could be worse than the pandemic, which could lead to the closure of some colleges.”
The Department of Education said the funds would primarily profit organizations currently working with schools and districts, in addition to those who have “strong relationships” with students and families and are capable of help reduce barriers and reduce FAFSA completion. increase submissions.
The department said its latest FAFSA Student Support Strategy funding will help schools and organizations hire advisors, counselors and coaches to assist students and families process their applications over prolonged evening, weekend and summer hours.
Funds may even help fund FAFSA submission clinics through partnerships with schools and districts and supply transportation assistance when needed. The program may even improve communication and help organizations use text messaging, phone calls and video conferencing in multiple languages to assist families complete their forms.
The department said the investment builds on its existing efforts to assist students and families complete their FAFSA, including the FAFSA College Support Strategy – one other $50 million program launched in February 2024 and focused on the Providing funding and advice to less resourced colleges and supporting them process focused information on student financial support.
The Department of Education said nearly 9 million applications have been successfully submitted for the reason that latest forms were introduced on December 30. That's a 24% decline in comparison with last 12 months at the moment.
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