On April 10th, the U.S. House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development held a hearing with financial aid experts to understand how the recent disastrous FAFSA rollout has impacted colleges and students.
During the hearing, which did not include representatives from the U.S. Department of Education (USDE), both Republican and Democratic lawmakers criticized the USDE’s plague-filled rollout.
In late 2020, Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act, which was meant to make it easier for students and their families to complete a difficult FAFSA form. Unfortunately, the USDE filed to release the form in a timely manner. In fact, the late-December release was three months later than usual and fraught with issues. that resulted in a 40% decrease in the number of high school seniors who completed the FAFSA through March 29, 2024 compared to last year. For more from K12 Dive, click here.