Support our non-partisan non-profit newsroom 💜 Donate now

Trouble with the FAFSA form this year? Tell us your questions

Feb 15, 2024
The new FAFSA form was supposed to simplify the application process, but the roll-out has hit some snags.
People have reported glitches with the new FAFSA.
ipuwadol/Getty Images Plus

Another FAFSA snag is delaying financial aid offers for prospective college students

Feb 1, 2024
There's a push to convince colleges and universities to extend their admission deadlines to give students — and schools — more time.
The most recent delay means school counselors will have a month less than usual to help students understand financial aid options.
Richard Stephen/Getty Images

An improved FAFSA is on the way, but delays mean students and schools will have to scramble

Nov 16, 2023
This year's form will be shorter and easier to fill out. But it'll also arrive more than two months late.
Colleges use the information on the FAFSA to decide how much financial aid to offer applicants.
Ilya Burdun/Getty Images

Revised FAFSA could simplify a dreaded rite of passage for students

Aug 29, 2023
It’s intended to make the process of getting financial aid less painful.
Over 40% of high school seniors didn’t submit the FAFSA last year, according to the National College Attainment Network.
Getty Images

Millions of high schoolers don't fill out financial aid forms — and leave billions on the table

Jan 31, 2023
You can't get federal grants unless you fill out the FAFSA.
Billions of dollars in Pell Grant money went unused last year. At least seven states have made filling out the FAFSA a requirement for high school graduation.
Getty Images

Federal student aid office has a big to-do list in 2023, but the same budget

Dec 29, 2022
The office will have to manage student loan forgiveness — if that clears Supreme Court challenges — and the resumption of loan payments after a pandemic pause.
The Supreme Court will hear challenges to the administration's student debt forgiveness policy in February.
Paul Morigi/Getty Images for We the 45m

More states are requiring high schoolers to complete financial aid application

Feb 16, 2022
Applications for federal aid for college have decreased, so schools and states are looking at ways to get more grants into students' hands.
In states that require high school students to fill out the FAFSA, the number of students applying for financial aid has gone up.
Tero Vesalainen/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Fewer students fill out FAFSA, enroll in college since pandemic began

Jul 21, 2021
The National College Attainment Network estimates that about 270,000 fewer high school seniors have filled out the FAFSA since 2019.
People mill about on the City University of New York campus. During the pandemic, the number of FAFSA applicants dropped, which means fewer eligible could students receive grants and loans.
Drew Angerer via Getty images

Financial aid applications are down. Does that mean fewer college students?

Mar 18, 2021
The pandemic seems to be causing students to put off applying for financial aid, which may mean they're putting off college.
Applications are down 9% compared to this time last year, said MorraLee Keller with the National College Attainment Network. She said some of the decline may be due to uncertainty.
designer491 via Getty Images

Kelly Peeler: Taking on the Goliath of student loans ... via text

Jan 10, 2020
"There's a market to be the David versus the Goliath that's already there ... I like being the David."
MoneyMentor founder, Kelly Peeler
Courtesy of Kelly Peeler