The Education Department recently announced that colleges will not be able to submit corrections to financial aid records in bulk for the upcoming academic year. This announcement adds to the challenges faced by students during the rollout of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Since the new form was released in December 2023, the process has been marred by delays, glitches, and processing errors, impacting millions of college students who rely on financial aid to pay for their education.
The department’s decision to defer batch corrections until the 2025-2026 FAFSA cycle has put additional strain on college institutions already dealing with a heavy workload during an unprecedented processing cycle. The issues began with the launch of the new application form in December and have proliferated, causing bureaucratic limbo for many households and campus officials. Education Department officials disclosed that at least 30% of FAFSA forms submitted by April contained errors due to glitches and other issues, leading to a reprocessing of those forms.
Secretary Miguel Cardona acknowledged the errors and announced a full-scale review of the Federal Student Aid office to address the ongoing issues with the FAFSA application process. The ability for institutions to submit batch corrections is crucial, especially for schools handling thousands of corrected applications for students with special circumstances such as changes in income or dependency status. However, the department prioritized the development of a more robust and well-tested launch for the 2025-26 FAFSA form, leading to the deferral of batch corrections.
Despite the challenges faced by students and institutions, the department has implemented a FAFSA Partner Portal to allow individual corrections to be submitted successfully by more than 2,800 institutions. Additionally, no-cost technical assistance will be offered to help schools navigate the correction process. However, a nonprofit representing financial aid professionals criticized the department’s decision to defer batch corrections, calling it a “stunning failure” that could result in some students not receiving their financial aid in time to start classes.
The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators emphasized the significant administrative burden placed on schools as a result of the deferred batch corrections, highlighting the difference between pushing a button and making thousands of keystrokes. The organization has been advocating for improvements and assistance from the Education Department to ensure a smoother FAFSA rollout in the future. Despite the setbacks, efforts are being made to address the current challenges and provide support to institutions and students affected by the delays and glitches in the financial aid application process.
