FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Allie Arcese
Sr. Director, Strategic Communications
[email protected]

WASHINGTON, D.C., JULY 10, 2024 — Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate have introduced a pair of bills that would ensure the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is made available to students on October 1 each year, ahead of their planned year of enrollment. 

The FAFSA form has typically been made available on October 1 each year since 2016, months earlier than the legally mandated January 1 launch date. This discrepancy between common practice and law came into play during this year’s turbulent FAFSA rollout, during which the updated “Better FAFSA” became available to students in a limited and incomplete fashion at the end of December 2023.

In response to this news, NASFAA Vice President of Public Policy & Federal Relations Karen McCarthy issued the following statement: 

“Codifying the October 1 FAFSA launch date into law has been a top priority for NASFAA for many years because, when operating as intended, an earlier release date allows colleges and universities to provide financial aid information to students much sooner. 

But cementing an October launch date only addresses a piece of the puzzle; consistency is another. Students must be able to trust that the financial aid application process will function as intended and that they will receive clear communication along the way.

This past year has shown us just how critical it is that all students are able to complete the FAFSA as soon as possible. Even today, there are aspects of the 2024-25 FAFSA system that are not yet functional or working as intended.

However, in the absence of a clear timeline or understanding from the Department of Education about when the entire FAFSA system will be available — including the application itself, the transfer of applicant data to schools, and the ability for applicants and schools to make corrections — forcing an October 1 deadline this year does not guarantee a fully functioning form, and may in fact work against efforts to release a product that has been tested and found to run smoothly. We need all stakeholders to work together in good faith to ensure this year’s mistakes are not repeated.

We continue to urge the Department of Education to ensure that the entire FAFSA system is up and running as intended as soon as possible and at the same time the application goes live and to promptly communicate that timeline.”

NASFAA policy experts are available to speak to members of the media about the upcoming FAFSA cycle. To set up an interview, please email [email protected].

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About NASFAA

The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) is a nonprofit membership organization that represents more than 29,000 financial aid professionals at approximately 3,000 colleges, universities, and career schools across the country. NASFAA member institutions serve nine out of every 10 undergraduates in the U.S. Based in Washington, D.C., NASFAA is the only national association with a primary focus on student aid legislation, regulatory analysis, and training for financial aid administrators.