U.S. Department of Education launches new FAFSA college support strategy
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — As the new federal student aid program faces hurdles and delays, the U.S. Department of Education is launching a new effort to try to make the process easier for colleges and students.
Choosing a university or college is one of the biggest decisions in someone's life, but many students don't know how much college will cost because of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid delay. Schools will not receive FAFSA information until mid-March.
"That is a more challenging thing this year because this is a transformed process, but it's a better process," said Richard Cordray, chief operating officer of the U.S. Department of Education's Federal Student Aid Office.
On Monday, the Department of Education announced the new FAFSA college support strategy. Cordray said the office will deploy federal financial aid experts to lower-resourced colleges.
"Some of them are well-resourced and have lots of personnel and sophisticated, and some of them are more thinly resourced, don't have many personnel and face greater challenges. We want to make sure that we're providing support to all of those schools so they can get through this process and navigate it successfully," Cordray said.
The Department of Education will also provide funding for technical assistance for under-resourced colleges and give schools test versions of student records so they can get ready to process offers.
Because of the delay in releasing FAFSA data to colleges, some colleges extended their deadlines to file.
Cordray encourages students to not give up on the process and to fill out the new, simpler FAFSA form. He said you might be pleasantly surprised.
"It's a better process. It's going to be better now for years to come. And when people can submit their FAFSA, they will find in many cases there is something available for them that they didn't know was there and it may be a life-changing experience," he said.
"What we're seeing, people are filling out the FAFSA form at a record pace. We are closing in on 4 million applications later this week. That would be the fastest pace we've ever seen," Cordray said.
The Department of Education also has a new resource where families and students can find tips on how to fill out the FAFSA form. Click here for more.