College admissions officers crossing fingers for new FAFSA
Nyrone Hawkins (left) gets help from Rokhaya Ceesay, with Tennessee College of Applied Technology, during the 901 FAFSA workshop hosted in April by Memphis Shelby County Schools and Tennessee College of Applied Technology. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)
The U.S. Department of Education, blamed for countless headaches in its rollout of last year’s federal financial aid application, is planning a more cautious approach this year.
Instead of a mass launch of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form, the portal will open Tuesday, Oct. 1, to a limited number of students and institutions.
“Following a challenging 2024-25 FAFSA cycle, the department listened carefully to the input of students, families and higher education institutions, made substantial changes to leadership and operations at Federal Student Aid, and is taking a new approach this year that will significantly improve the FAFSA experience,” Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said.
The goal is to solve the system errors that derailed millions of students and thousands of colleges in the last cycle, including making the application instructions easier to understand.
By Sunday, Dec. 1, the portal is expected to open to everyone — and college admissions counselors here are crossing their fingers.
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Jane Roberts
Longtime journalist Jane Roberts is a Minnesotan by birth and a Memphian by choice. She's lived and reported in the city more than two decades. She covers business news and features for The Daily Memphian.
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