"U.S. colleges and universities won't receive students' applications for financial aid until at least early March, the Department of Education said Tuesday," NBC reports.

... "That series of mishaps ultimately led to Tuesday's announcement."

"'On the very day that schools were expecting FAFSA applicant information, they were instead notified by the U.S. Department of Education that they shouldn’t expect to receive that data until March, at the earliest,' said Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, in a statement Tuesday."

"'These continued delays, communicated at the last minute, threaten to harm the very students and families that federal student aid is intended to help.'"

... "'With this last-minute news, our nation’s colleges are once again left scrambling as they determine how best to work within these new timelines to issue aid offers as soon as possible,' Draeger said, adding that financially vulnerable students should not be the ones to 'pay the price for these missteps.'"

NASFAA's "Notable Headlines" section highlights media coverage of financial aid to help members stay up to date with the latest news. Articles included under the notable headlines section are not written by NASFAA, but rather by external sources. Inclusion in Today's News does not imply endorsement of the material or guarantee the accuracy of information presented.

Publication Date: 1/30/2024