FAFSA Launch
The Department of Education has initiatied its soft launch of the overhauled 2024-25 FAFSA. Stay tuned here and to Today's News for the latest from NASFAA regarding the FAFSA launch.
Resources for Students & Parents
Resources for Financial Aid Administrators
- NASFAA's FAFSA Simplification Web Center
- Department of Education FAFSA Simplification Updates
- Share the news with your students and networks with these graphics:
- NPR: The FAFSA Rollout Has Been Rough on Students. The Biggest Problem Is Yet to Come
Statements from NASFAA
April 10, 2024 - We don't have to tell you how challenging the last few weeks have been for the financial aid community. You've been living that reality, day in and day out.
Statement on FAFSA Tax Data Errors
April 2, 2024 - On Monday, the U.S. Department of Education released more details on three issues concerning tax data reported on applicant records through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.
Statement on FAFSA Calculation Error
March 22, 2024 - Today, the Department of Education announced that a miscalculation in the formula of the FAFSA resulted in incorrect financial need information for several hundred thousand students being sent to colleges and universities.
March 18, 2024 - NASFAA last week signed onto a community letter urging the Department of Education (ED) to delay reporting requirements, beyond the July 31, 2024 deadline, associated with the implementation of the department’s final rule for gainful employment (GE) and financial value transparency (FVT) framework. The final rule was a result of negotiated rulemaking conducted in the winter of 2021 and early spring of 2022. The letter, spearheaded by the American Council on Education (ACE), calls on ED to provide this flexibility in the wake of delays associated with the 2024-25 FAFSA so that schools can focus on packaging student aid. Read the full letter.
February 27, 2024 - NASFAA on Monday submitted comments to the Department of Education (ED) related to its authentication process for individuals without a Social Security number (SSN) applying for an FSA ID. NASFAA reminded ED of the importance of this population’s ability to obtain an FSA ID and to submit the FAFSA. With respect to the form, NASFAA’s comments were largely technical and focused on areas where ED could provide more clarity.
February 1, 2024 - It's no secret that the last several months have been challenging for our profession, for our students, and for the higher education community as we navigate the launch of a completely overhauled FAFSA. The most recent news out of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) compounds those challenges even further. Read an open letter from 2024-25 National Chair Helen Faith and NASFAA President & CEO Justin Draeger to the NASFAA member community.
January 30, 2024 - Today, the White House and U.S. Department of Education officially announced that institutions will not receive FAFSA applicant information until the first half of March, further delaying an already sluggish process.
January 24, 2024 - The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has confirmed that it will now update, in accordance with the law, the thresholds used to protect a portion of a family’s income from being considered available for college expenses by inflation-adjusted amounts.
NASFAA Statement on 2024-25 FAFSA Launch
January 2, 2024 - The Department of Education began its soft launch of the overhauled 2024-25 FAFSA, during which time the application was available for limited periods of time as ED pulled it down from time to time to address ongoing operational issues.
Latest FAFSA Launch News from NASFAA
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ED Provides Information about Reprocessed ISIR Codes and FAFSA Communication Efforts
April 17, 2024 - In its latest electronic announcement the Department of Education (ED) provided details on codes that will appear on reprocessed ISIRs and its email campaign to contact applicants with rejected or incomplete 2024-25 FAFSAs. -
ED Provides Safe Harbors and Additional Details on How to Document and Package, for Certain ISIR Errors
April 12, 2024 - In its latest electronic announcement the Department of Education (ED) reiterated that it will reprocess all Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) impacted by recent errors, and also includes further instructions on how to meet profession... -
"From a Hardship to a Crisis" - NASFAA Testifies on Current Status of the FAFSA Rollout
April 11, 2024 - In stark terms, NASFAA President & CEO Justin Draeger, along with other higher education experts, provided testimony to a House education subcommittee on Wednesday over the flawed rollout of the 2024-25 FAFSA, and detailed how Congress should wor... -
ED Releases Details on Reprocessing ISIRs, FAFSA Student Corrections
April 10, 2024 - The Department of Education (ED) on Tuesday evening, provided more details on when institutions can expect to receive reprocessed FAFSA applicant records and when students will be able to make corrections to their FAFSAs. The EA did not address when ... -
In Reversal, ED Plans to Reprocess FAFSA Records Impacted by Recent Errors
April 5, 2024 - The Department of Education (ED) announced in a blog post on Thursday that it plans to automatically reprocess all FAFSA records affected by the April 1 announcement, concerning tax data reported on Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs), ... -
ED Releases More Details on List of Unaffected FAFSA Records
April 4, 2024 - The Department of Education (ED) on Wednesday provided more details on the list it plans to send to institutions of FAFSA records that are unaffected by any known errors. -
FSA Releases Details on Three Additional Issues With FAFSA Applicant Records
April 2, 2024 - The Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), via an electronic announcement Monday evening, released more details on three issues concerning tax data reported on Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs). -
ED Delays Reporting Deadline for Gainful Employment and Financial Value Transparency Regulations
April 1, 2024 - The Department of Education (ED) announced on Friday that it would delay the institutional reporting deadline for gainful employment (GE) and financial value transparency (FVT) from July 31 until October 1, 2024. -
ED Acknowledges Potential Issue Alert Flagged by Financial Aid Professionals
April 1, 2024 - Federal Student Aid (FSA) acknowledged on Friday that it is aware of reported issues from financial aid offices concerning tax data reported on Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) and is investigating those potential errors. Based on in... -
ED Updates Governors on FAFSA Rollout, Urges States to Support Institutions Preparing Aid Packages
March 27, 2024 - Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, in a letter to state governors on Tuesday, outlined steps that state-level stakeholders can take to encourage students to complete the 2024-25 FAFSA and to support institutions preparing financial aid packages. -
ED Provides Updated Timeline on FAFSA Processing, Student Corrections
March 26, 2024 - The Department of Education (ED), in an electronic announcement posted on Monday, provided updated benchmarks for the 2024-25 FAFSA rollout, including timeframes for when students will be able to make corrections, when forms containing previously rep... -
Bipartisan Senators Urge ED to Delay Gainful Employment and Financial Value Transparency Reporting
March 22, 2024 - A bipartisan group of senators on Thursday sent a letter to the Department of Education (ED) urging it to delay institutional gainful employment (GE) and financial value transparency reporting deadlines to ease institutions amid the rollout of the 20... -
ED Identifies Technical Issue Related to ISIR Processing
March 22, 2024 - The Department of Education (ED) in an electronic announcement on Friday identified a miscalculation in the 2024-25 Student Aid Index (SAI) formula that could create more student aid packaging delays, the latest in a series of challenges in the rollo... -
ED Provides Webinar Updates on 2024-25 ISIR Delivery and Transmission Support
March 19, 2024 - During a live webinar on Monday, officials from the Department of Education (ED) provided updates on the latest 2024-25 FAFSA delivery timeline, highlighted new resources, and answered common questions from the Institutional Student Information Recor... -
ED Updates College Presidents on FAFSA Rollout, Urges Schools to Extend Decision Dates
March 18, 2024 - Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, in a letter to college presidents sent on Friday, provided updates on progress the department has made in implementing the 2024-25 FAFSA and outlined steps schools could take to be best prepared for processing appl... -
ED Details Updated Technical Fix and Outstanding Issues for FAFSA Contributors Without SSNs
March 13, 2024 - The Department of Education (ED) in an electronic announcement posted on Tuesday evening detailed technical updates to the 2024-25 FAFSA form, seeking to resolve issues that are preventing submission when a contributor does not have a Social Security... -
ED Details ISIR Delivery Rollout, Updated Issue Alerts, and New FAFSA Functionality
March 13, 2024 - The Department of Education (ED), in an electronic announcement posted on Tuesday evening, informed stakeholders that the transmission of Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) formally began over the weekend and will gradually begin to ra... -
Biden Signs Short-Term Spending Plan, Reversing ED's Update to the SAI Formula
March 4, 2024 - President Joe Biden on Friday signed another continuing resolution into law for fiscal year 2024 to avoid a partial government shutdown until at least March 22. However, this resolution also reversed the Department of Education's (ED) announcement la... -
Department of Education Details ISIR Processing Approach in New Announcement
March 4, 2024 - The Department of Education (ED) on Monday doubled down on its commitment to begin transmitting FAFSA applicant information to colleges and universities in the first half of March, and provided more details on what schools, state higher education age... -
Short-Term Funding Bill Would Rescind SAI Formula Change
February 29, 2024 - A draft continuing resolution (CR) released in the House of Representatives yesterday that would fund the federal government through March 22 and forestall a government shutdown would also rescind the Department of Education’s latest update to ... -
ED Announces Update to SAI Formula, Release of 100 Additional Test ISIRs
February 27, 2024 - The Department of Education (ED) on Tuesday announced that it updated the Student Aid Index (SAI) formula in order to be "in full alignment with the FAFSA Simplification Act," just weeks before institutions are expected to begin receiving Institution... -
ED Announces Resolution for FAFSA Contributors Without SSNs Coming in ‘First Half’ of March
February 20, 2024 - The Department of Education (ED) on Tuesday announced that it would resolve a 2024-25 FAFSA issue that is preventing submission when a contributor does not have a Social Security Number (SSN), in the “first half” of March. -
ED Releases Additional Batch of Test ISIRs and Testing Tools
February 16, 2024 - The Department of Education (ED) announced via electronic announcement on Friday that the first batch of test Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) are now available for institutions and software providers. The department committed to the... -
Democrats Seek More Clarity From ED About Next Steps in the Delayed FAFSA Rollout
February 13, 2024 - Over 100 congressional Democrats on Monday sent a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona pressing the Department of Education (ED) for answers on the delayed rollout of the 2024-25 FAFSA. -
ED Announces Verification Relief and Additional Flexibilities to Ease FAFSA-Related Burden
February 13, 2024 - The Department of Education (ED), in an electronic announcement posted on Tuesday morning, detailed its latest efforts to help institutions of higher education prepare for the 2024-25 FAFSA rollout, namely by reducing verification requirements, suspe... -
ED Commits to February 16 Delivery Date for Test ISIRs and Provides Additional Details on its FAFSA College Support Strategy
February 12, 2024 - The Department of Education (ED) in an electronic announcement on Friday evening provided additional information on three key components of its “FAFSA College Support Strategy,” and also committed to releasing test versions of Institution... -
NASFAA Seeks Emergency Corps of Consultants to Help Severely Under-Resourced Schools
February 7, 2024 - The Department of Education (ED) on Monday announced a new initiative, the “FAFSA College Support Strategy,” to assist the most in-need, resource-constrained schools prepare for the 2024-25 FAFSA rollout. NASFAA stands at the ready to mee... -
NASFAA Deep Dive: Why Did the SAI Inflation Adjustments Reduce the Asset Protection Allowance to Zero?
February 1, 2024 - NASFAA has received a number of inquiries from members who noticed the values for the asset protection allowance (APA) are $0 in the final guide, while the draft guide included values for those figures. The short answer: the zeroes are correct. For a... -
Letter on FAFSA Rollout and Delays
January 31, 2024 - NASFAA National Chair Helen Faith and President Justin Draeger outline where we are with the FAFSA launch & delays and provide resources & guidance for the financial aid community. -
ED Announces 2024-25 FAFSA Inflation Adjustments, But How and When Remains Unclear
January 23, 2024 - The Department of Education (ED) on Tuesday announced that it will update the tables used to protect a portion of a family’s income and assets from being considered in the Student Aid Index (SAI) by inflation-adjusted amounts. However, the depa... -
Top House Education Committee Democrat Expresses Concern Over Further FAFSA Processing Delays
January 17, 2024 - In a recent letter to the Department of Education (ED), Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), ranking member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, requested updated information to detail the department’s “readiness to support” stu... -
Cassidy: 2024-25 FAFSA 'Has Not Gone Well'
January 16, 2024 - Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, criticized the Department of Education (ED) in a letter on Friday for its “botched” rollout of the 2024-25 FAFSA. -
Missouri Hosts Week of Action to Help Students and Families With New FAFSA
January 8, 2024 - As students and families across the country begin to fill out their 2024-25 FAFSA, the Missouri Association of Student Financial Aid Personnel (MASFAP) is hosting a state-wide week of action to answer questions they may have about the new application... -
First Reactions and NASFAA’s Coverage of the 2024-25 FAFSA Soft Launch
January 4, 2024 - With the start of the New Year, the higher education community hit the ground running as the Department of Education initiated its soft launch of the 2024-25 FAFSA over the weekend. Since the launch, applicants have been reporting glitches and compla... -
ED Initiates 2024-25 FAFSA Soft Launch, With Periodic Maintenance Outages
December 31, 2023 - The Department of Education this weekend has begun its soft launch of the overhauled 2024-25 FAFSA, during which time the application will be available to students and families periodically as the department pulls the form down from time to time to p... -
ED Announces Plans for 2024-25 FAFSA “Soft Launch”
December 15, 2023 - The Department of Education (ED) in a notice published on Friday afternoon announced — with no specific timeline — that the days before and after December 31 will serve as a period to “monitor and respond in real time to potential i...
