A new FAFSA problem could keep families waiting longer for financial aid awards

The Department of Education has found another problem impacting some college financial aid forms that could further delay students’ aid awards, leaving them in limbo as they decide where to enroll next year.

The Department of Education has found another problem impacting some college financial aid forms that could further delay students’ aid awards, leaving them in limbo as they decide where to enroll next year. The problem involves tax data transferred from the Internal Revenue Service and impacts “fewer than 20%” – or potentially about 1 million – of the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) forms previously submitted by students and families this year, the department said Saturday. It’s possible that colleges received inaccurate information about some families’ finances after those applicants submitted the FAFSA to the Department of Education. The new error is the latest complication with this year’s FAFSA process, which has been marked with delays and glitches after a long-awaited, updated version of the financial aid form was released. Just over a week ago, the department identified a separate calculation error impacting several hundred thousand forms. Students and families typically receive information from colleges in March about how much financial help they’ll receive the following academic year, but many are still waiting to receive that information. Colleges and universities usually request students to make a decision to enroll and pay a deposit by May 1. Many schools, but not all, have already pushed back that date.