Kentuckiana Times

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, has introduced legislation requiring the Department of Education to make the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form available to students each year on October 1. Representative Erin Houchin (R-IN) has introduced the companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The annual FAFSA form has typically been available by October 1, providing students and schools sufficient time to complete the application and process financial aid offers ahead of acceptance deadlines. While Secretary Cardona has indicated that next year’s FAFSA would be ready by October, both Republicans and Democrats have expressed concerns that the Department is behind on its FAFSA responsibilities. The Department has stated it will not publish the draft FAFSA for comment, which is usually done by March, making it difficult to provide feedback before October.

This follows a delay by the Biden administration in getting this year’s FAFSA program fully operational until late January. The Department was then delayed in providing information to colleges until March. In April, it was announced that approximately 30 percent of FAFSA forms had processing or data errors and were not reprocessed until after May 1, a deadline for many students to choose their college. This prevented colleges from creating financial aid offers, forcing students and families to make decisions without information about their eligibility for financial aid.

“The Department of Education has had more than three years to properly implement the new FAFSA. Yet, the Department is once again behind on making the FAFSA form available to students by October 1,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Another class of students may skip college altogether because they don’t know if they can afford it. This bill holds Secretary Cardona accountable to ensure students have their financial offers in time to choose the best affordable college option for them.”

"Timely access to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is essential for making higher education accessible and affordable," said Representative Houchin. "The current flexibility in the FAFSA release date creates unnecessary obstacles and allows the Department of Education to string families along." She further criticized delays during this year's FAFSA launch: "Instead of addressing problems with FAFSA availability created by its Department, the Biden Administration focused substantial time on its illegal student loan bailout scheme."

Representative Virginia Foxx (R-NC), chairwoman of the House Education and Workforce Committee added: “FAFSA is a vital tool for millions of students, and the Biden administration’s gross mismanagement has put it at risk.” She continued: “This bill is a simple fix that will force the Department of Education to do its job."