A series of tweets from various stakeholders including lawmakers, education committees, and news outlets have highlighted significant issues with the recent rollout of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Criticisms focus on the Biden administration's handling of the rollout, citing delays, technical issues, and lack of accountability, which have left many students and their families in a state of uncertainty regarding their financial aid and college plans. The House Education and Workforce Committee held a hearing to address these failures, with both Republicans and Democrats expressing concern over the impact on students' access to higher education. Witnesses and lawmakers from both parties have called for immediate action to resolve the issues and improve the FAFSA process. Notably, 30% of all forms have been affected by processing errors, and the situation has been described as presenting a greater threat to higher education than COVID four years ago. The hearing witnessed bipartisan condemnation and highlighted that new student applications in New Mexico are down 28%.
The @usedgov's failure to implement the new FAFSA is impacting students & schools in PA-11 and across the nation. This bureaucratic incompetence now appears to be a pattern. I again call on @SecCardona to come before the @EdWorkforceCmte to answer our questions. https://t.co/VOuUYCsv47
The @usedgov's failure to implement the new FAFSA is impacting students & schools in PA-11 and across the nation. This bureaucratic incompetence now appears to be a pattern. I again call on to @SecCardona's come before the @EdWorkforceCmte to answer our questions. https://t.co/vqQ7zwzckX
This year's FAFSA rollout has seen countless delays, glitches, and a complete lack of remorse from Biden's Education Department. Our @EdWorkforceCmte hearing was a crucial first step towards getting the facts straight & holding the department accountable. https://t.co/oqFuZYodwM
The administration needs to get its priorities straight. While the department was busy canceling $144 billion in student loans, FAFSA was pushed to the side leading to a disastrous rollout. This has created significant challenges for higher education institutions as they are… https://t.co/p3N8LJySOu
Families spend years saving and planning to send their kids to college. FAFSA’s disastrous rollout has left many students lost and confused, by no fault of their own. @EdWorkforceCmte held a hearing yesterday to speak with experts about how we can keep this from happening again. https://t.co/r3v7O7wZcP
The so-called “completed” applications contain data inaccuracies. Exhibit A: 30% of all forms have been affected by processing errors producing inflated or unusable aid estimates for millions of families. Students are hurting due to the Biden admin’s self-made FAFSA fiasco! https://t.co/1VH329sjOt
At 9:00 AM, @EdWorkforceCmte will hold a hearing on empowering independent workers with portable benefits in America’s dynamic and rapidly changing workforce. Tune in: https://t.co/WVR4Rta67w
Republicans and Democrats agree on at least one thing lately: the Biden administration’s handling of college financial aid this year has been a mess. https://t.co/kpvuHGZgur
Leaders of the college financial aid system assailed the Education Department over this year’s FAFSA debacle, warning that ongoing delays are extending institutions’ timelines for offering packages that many students’ decisions hinge on. https://t.co/rXIqX308KG
Delays, problems with federal student aid application leave applicants in limbo https://t.co/wc7dWkKZ7F https://t.co/qLChFlEy9v
Today, I held a hearing on @MOHELA's failures as a student loan servicer, from bungling return to repayment to delaying debt relief for public servants. It’s time for action. @usedgov must hold them accountable. Borrowers deserve better than MOHELA.
I know from personal experience the confusion and frustration that applying for Federal Student Aid has caused for students and parents. The 2024-2025 FAFSA rollout has been a disaster and the Biden Admin continues to fail our students. https://t.co/ulOkh5sELb
The Biden FAFSA rollout has been an unmitigated disaster. But don't take our word for it. Read what both Republicans AND Democrats had to say in today's hearing in the recap below ⤵️⤵️⤵️ https://t.co/gAtSXvyPxz
The issues with the new FASFA form are hurting those who need it most. Across New Mexico, new student applications are down 28%. We must solve this. I wrote letter to @usedgov urging immediate fixes to the form and they assured me this is a priority. https://t.co/ZSmDPZqYh9
The Biden Admin has failed our students with their poor rollout of FAFSA. Congress should ensure the Department of Education is held accountable for their missteps, as these failures are negatively impacting many students across the country. https://t.co/iuo7gEjTP2
'A crisis of credibility': Education Department hears bipartisan condemnation on rocky FAFSA rollout https://t.co/6i0U1obkyE
A House hearing examining the botched rollout of new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms offered the Department of Education an earful as witnesses and lawmakers from both parties lamented the “crisis of credibility." https://t.co/ryBtthm517
.@UNC's Rachelle Feldman tells @RepAdams that ED’s FAFSA failures will have long & severe impacts on students: "I really worry that we will lose the lowest-income, high-talent students, that they'll choose not to enroll in college, & that will be bad for the entire [economy]." https://t.co/4khaT4vCjJ
I have three words to describe Biden’s Department of Education FAFSA rollout: delays, glitches, and chaos. This isn't just about paperwork – it's about students and families planning for college. We need accountability, not excuses. https://t.co/od9ZiFjphd
.@MOHELA has made millions of billing errors, bungled debt relief for public servants, and made it nearly impossible for borrowers to get help. I'm leading a hearing on MOHELA's failures, our broken student loan system & how we can fix it: https://t.co/o1vytVGJWn
Was the Biden Administration too busy working on student loan schemes to correctly implement the new FASFA? Why is it everything this administration does directly harms everyday Americans who are trying to do the right thing? https://t.co/H9xd5K7qjd
.@RepNateMoran, who couldn’t complete his daughter’s FAFSA form for several weeks b/c of ED errors, heard this SHOCKING feedback from one college in Texas: "The 2024-2025 FAFSA rollout has presented a greater threat to higher education than COVID four years ago." https://t.co/wXVWrsKAHX
.@RepBobGood questioning uncovers the truth – from the start the Biden admin didn’t take FAFSA implementation (a BIPARTSIAN mandate from Congress) seriously. WATCH ⤵️ https://t.co/eg9jvJWsZQ
Senate Democrats sent a letter to a federal contractor demanding answers about the tumultuous rollout of the new Free Application for the Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). https://t.co/ao2E2RrJ0n
.@justindraeger: "If there was a financial aid director [who] delayed financial aid on their campus for up to 6 months, the professional price that would be paid for that would be pretty steep." ED's botched FAFSA rollout reeks of hypocrisy. It's time for Richard Cordray to GO. https://t.co/BWebnTTS4Q
.@virginiafoxx on ED's FAFSA failures via her @nytimes ltr to the editor: "As a former professor, I’ve given out (and denied) many deadline extension requests." ED shouldn't get a late pass because it spent years focused on illegally transferring student loan debt to taxpayers. https://t.co/eruGMQhIVl
The FAFSA needs fixing, period. Students needed their financial aid information months ago, yet they still don't have it. Our priority must be getting students the information they need ASAP so they can make college decisions. https://t.co/HinfyTJLHR
The House Education and Workforce Committee is holding a hearing on the problems with the new FAFSA application so naturally the Democrats are doing everything they can to deflect the conversation away from the Biden administration and the Department of Education.
🧵With 3 years for preparation, Biden’s FAFSA has been an utter disaster: ❌numerous tech issues ❌lengthy waiting times ❌sporadic closures of the online form Still students are left without knowing whether they can afford college...
FAFSA delays have left millions of students in limbo, unsure of their academic futures and unable to access assistance when planning for college. Follow along as @EdWorkforceCmte investigates this failure and holds the Education Department accountable for this disastrous rollout. https://t.co/iyXmRScvEb
.@RepBurgessOwens opens the hearing on ED's FAFSA failures: "It is our responsibility as Congress to hold the executive branch accountable [and] learn from this botched rollout...to ensure a smooth, clear, and honest FAFSA process moving forward." https://t.co/xc7tbP9Fr7
And the House FAFSA hearing is underway! We’ll have updates here https://t.co/jInSE4ZOA3 https://t.co/yzaxYjKsWT
House @EdWorkforceCmte @EdWorkforceDems hearing on Federal Student Aid Application Delays – LIVE online here: https://t.co/U1RlGnG1Bi
WATCH LIVE: FAFSA problems for students in the spotlight at House education hearing https://t.co/RX9JisZo5Q
This year's FAFSA delays threaten to upend decades of progress to expand access to higher education. WATCH: Dems call for a clear path forward to ensure students can make informed decisions about their futures.⤵️ https://t.co/tIYlEYhfOd
Tune in as @EdWorkforceCmte exposes the disastrous FAFSA rollout that has left millions of students in limbo. https://t.co/0yfd7rlTJd
At 10:15 AM, @EdWorkforceCmte will hold a hearing on the Department of Education’s FAFSA failures, that have compromised millions of students’ access to postsecondary education. Tune in: https://t.co/hoCLiaA4MR
The Biden administration hasn’t held anyone accountable for a FAFSA debacle that is literally denying many working-class children the chance to attend college this fall. It’s absolutely despicable. https://t.co/cZzAAEnH7U
Biden’s push for so-called “free” college is hurting borrowers, families, & the overall federal student loan system. Instead of calling out Biden’s Ed Dept for this failure and its botched FAFSA rollout, Democrats today will attempt to put the blame on loan servicers. Shameful!
Stay tuned for tomorrow's @EdWorkforceCmte Higher Ed and Workforce Development subcommittee hearing on the disastrous FAFSA rollout and its impact on students and our entire university system. https://t.co/Z12Sc7gFiV