{"id":19150,"date":"2024-08-16T13:44:35","date_gmt":"2024-08-16T19:44:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sehd.ucdenver.edu\/impact\/?p=19150"},"modified":"2024-08-16T13:44:35","modified_gmt":"2024-08-16T19:44:35","slug":"ed-review-08-16-24","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sehd.ucdenver.edu\/impact\/2024\/08\/16\/ed-review-08-16-24\/","title":{"rendered":"ED Review (08\/16\/24)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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FEDERAL STUDENT AID<\/strong><\/p>\n

On August 7, the Department announced<\/a>\u00a0that the 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA\u00ae) form will be launched through a new process.\u00a0 Starting on October 1, the Department will release the 2025-26 FAFSA form for testing with a limited set of students and postsecondary institutions. The agency will make the FAFSA form available to all students on or before December 1.<\/p>\n

This new process was informed by conversations and feedback from students, institutions, and other stakeholders and is consistent with software industry best practices.<\/p>\n

The Department will invite volunteers to participate in the testing period, and, over time, make the form available to an increasing number of participants, starting with hundreds and expanding to tens of thousands of applicants.\u00a0 This process will allow the agency to test and resolve issues before making the form available to all students and contributors.\u00a0 Using this approach, the Department will implement full functionality — submission, processing, and corrections — at the same time.<\/p>\n

A phased rollout will also allow the Department to incorporate user feedback to ensure the form\u2019s instructions are clear and easy-to-use and provide resources for the community that support students and families.<\/p>\n

Throughout the testing period, the agency will share regular updates with students, institutions, and stakeholders to make sure they clearly understand progress.\u00a0 This will also boost confidence among students and families, institutions, state agencies, and other partners.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, the Department will continue to seek feedback from stakeholders via listening sessions and a new\u00a0formal request for information<\/a>\u00a0(comments due by September 13).\u00a0 The agency will publish about what it has learned through these engagements, including releasing a new roadmap with additional tools for those planning for a successful 2025-26 FAFSA season.<\/p>\n

The top priority is ensuring students have access to the maximum possible federal financial aid to reach their education goals.<\/p>\n

Notably, as a result of investments through the FAFSA Student Support Strategy and the partnership of community and stakeholders, 2024-25 FAFSA submission rates significantly increased the past six months, with the submission gap from the prior year falling from roughly 40% in March to under 4% today.<\/p>\n

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REMINDER: STUDENT DEBT RELIEF<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Biden Administration emailed all borrowers<\/a>\u00a0with at least one outstanding federally held student loan to provide updates on potential\u00a0student debt relief<\/a>.\u00a0 The Department expects that all proposed forms of relief would be provided to eligible borrowers without requiring any action from them (no application required).\u00a0 Otherwise, they have until August 30 to call their servicer to opt out.\u00a0 The rules that would provide such relief are not yet finalized, and receiving the message does not guarantee specific borrowers will be eligible.\u00a0 The Department will provide additional information to borrowers once these rules are settled this fall.<\/p>\n