Last month, the Department of Education announced the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) will not be available until December 1. Historically, the FAFSA opens on October 1. But, after last year’s delayed roll out on January 1 and the myriad problems encountered by students, families, and college financial aid officers, the department has decided to delay the FAFSA to ensure full functionality when it does open.
Prior to December 1, the Department of Education will use volunteers to beta test the form. According to Inside Higher Ed, “For the first round of testing that kicks off Oct. 1, the department plans to partner with two to six community-based organizations that ‘can reach a broad and diverse set of student and contributor populations.’” In November, the department will open the testing pool to select high schools that can host FAFSA completion nights, expanding the testing to tens of thousands of students. In a news release, FAFSA executive adviser Jeremy Singer said, “We’re using the beta testing period to uncover and fix issues with the FAFSA form before the form is available to millions of students and their families.”
According to an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Singer said the testing process will involve real data from the IRS and be processed by actual colleges. Importantly, he also said, “Students who submit a FAFSA during the testing phase will not need to resubmit it later.”
Financial aid professionals encouraged the Department of Education to delay the FAFSA until they could ensure it works properly, and they are hoping for the best. In a written statement, Beth Maglione, interim president and chief executive of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, said, “As we move forward, we hope that ED [Education Department] will maintain a high level of transparency — particularly around issues that would directly impact the ability of financial-aid professionals to serve students. We also hope this two-month planned-testing period will allow for a much smoother rollout.”
But after a year of delays, missed deadlines and difficulties, many families and financial aid officers are adopting a “wait and see” attitude, and some are downright skeptical. According to The Chronicle, Samantha Hicks, assistant vice president for financial aid and scholarships at Coastal Carolina University, posted a reaction to the announcement on X: “I believe nothing they say.”
