On the recordMay 1, 2024
like my colleagues before me, I rise to bring attention to an issue that is affecting high school students and their families all across the country, including in my home State of Missouri. It is national college decision day, and millions of students who have worked hard are deciding where they will continue their education. Unfortunately, a lot of those students' experiences today will be marred by the Department of Education's complete inability to do the basics of their jobs. There are major issues in the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid--the FAFSA application. Colleges, including Missouri State University, pushed back deadlines for financial aid, and students are left with more questions now than answers. Additionally, on March 22, the Department of Education announced that roughly 200,000 student financial aid records sent to schools included errors in the data. The bipartisan FAFSA Simplification Act eased the bureaucratic burden of students by streamlining the questionnaire from 108 questions down to just 38. For nearly every student in the country, especially first- generation college students, a simplified FAFSA experience would ease the college application experience. Despite plenty of time and adequate funding, the Department of Education failed to properly implement the new FAFSA.…
Source
govinfo.gov




