FAFSA was revamped this year, causing major delays and barriers to enrollment for many (Representational image)|COD Newsroom|CC BY 2.0
After a two-month delay that left high schoolers and families uncertain about the financial assistance they could receive for college tuition, the Department of Education began sending essential data to colleges and universities that is needed to determine eligibility for federal student aid.
An initial batch of student records was sent to some institutions this week. The delays disrupted the college admissions season, with many schools extending enrollment deadlines due to a lack of financial information.
What caused the delay?
The troubled rollout of a revamped Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) was the main reason.
It was aimed to simplify the process, but people experienced severe delays and technical glitches when filling out the form.
Only 4.7 million FAFSAs were submitted by February, far from the 17 million the education department receives every year.
It led to the department discovering 70,000 unread emails containing crucial data from students nationwide, just days before the deadline to process federal financial aid applications.
The Biden administration has faced criticism for the handling of the overhaul, with Republicans launching an investigation.