Cardona apologizes for FAFSA rollout
Lawmakers worry about next year’s applicants
It may be too little, too late for some, but the top education official in the Biden administration showed remorse Tuesday for making college financial aid less accessible to some students this year.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona apologized to students and families for a series of calamitous delays in the aid process as a bipartisan group of lawmakers raised new concerns about the likelihood of similar troubles in the next admissions cycle.
Cardona said at a congressional hearing that his agency has largely resolved the problems with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. Although millions of forms have been successfully submitted, he acknowledged that the congressionally required improvements to the FAFSA, which many students rely on to receive government help paying for college, have been “frustrating” and “challenging.”
“I apologize to the students and families that have had to deal with delays,” he told lawmakers.
The rollout of the new form has been tripped up by glitches and data errors in recent months, which prevented colleges from sending financial aid offers according to traditional timelines. After facing pressure to work out the kinks, the department now says FAFSAs are being processed in one to three days and the majority of colleges have sent out aid packages to students. In late April, the top official overseeing college financial aid announced he would step down at the end of June.
Cardona’s apology came amid fresh questions about whether next year’s financial aid season is already behind. Though Cardona said at a previous congressional hearing that he expected the next FAFSA form would launch on time, a bipartisan group of lawmakers sent him a letter Tuesday warning of signs indicating otherwise.
The department usually publishes a draft version of the FAFSA in February or March for comment, the lawmakers wrote. But that hasn’t happened yet, they said. They urged the agency to commit to opening a dialogue about the next admissions cycle as soon as possible.
“In the interest of ensuring a smooth FAFSA rollout for students and families next cycle, we insist on full transparency from you and your staff,” they wrote.