There’s no question, the rollout of the revamped FAFSA – the Free Application for Federal Student Aid that millions of students must fill out to qualify for college loans and grants – was a slow-motion explosion of mistakes and miscommunication by the U.S. Department of Education.
On Tuesday, though, the public got a detailed map of that disaster, thanks to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and testimony before a House subcommittee.
These GAO reviews and testimony come as the department prepares to launch the next FAFSA cycle, which will again be delayed, with a small rollout in October and a full launch by December.
Some of the problems outlined by the GAO will sound familiar; NPR has covered them extensively here and here. But, by reviewing federal data and conducting interviews with department employees, GAO investigators offer the fullest picture yet of the department’s failures and their impact on applicants.
In December 2020, Congress voted to overhaul the FAFSA. The changes were intended to make the form easier to fill out and expand access to federal student aid for students who need it most. Implementation of this new law would fall to the incoming Biden administration.