DOE has FUBARed FAFSA for 2024 college kids

[Cortez88]

This is and continues to be an unmitigated disaster. First, a form that has been available on October 1, was slated to be released on December 31. The form they released 3 months late was a beta version that was only intermittently available. Now they are telling kids, parents, and colleges to check back “sometime” in mid March to see if they have anything fixed.

Now, instead of receiving FAFSA forms for evaluation on a rolling basis over several months, college admission offices will receive 10s of thousands all at one time. Decision dates will have to be pushed back to the summer.

Also, many scholarships require the student to upload the completed FAFSA form and aid calculation. A bunch of scholarships are due today and kids won’t be able to file because the scholarship web page was not set up to account for the FAFSA form not being available.

Millions of college students in limbo after FAFSA information delayed until March

The delay is the result of Education Department's previously reported inflation-calculation mistake.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Spartans9312]

This is and continues to be an unmitigated disaster. First, a form that has been available on October 1, was slated to be released on December 31. The form they released 3 months late was a beta version that was only intermittently available. Now they are telling kids, parents, and colleges to check back “sometime” in mid March to see if they have anything fixed.

Now, instead of receiving FAFSA forms for evaluation on a rolling basis over several months, college admission offices will receive 10s of thousands all at one time. Decision dates will have to be pushed back to the summer.

Also, many scholarships require the student to attach the completed FAFSA form and aid calculation. A bunch of scholarships are due today and kids won’t be able to file because the scholarship web page was not set up to account for the FAFSA form not being available.

Millions of college students in limbo after FAFSA information delayed until March

The delay is the result of Education Department's previously reported inflation-calculation mistake.

www.nbcnews.com

Yep…we are dealing with this garbage. It’s ridiculous

 

[Cortez88]

Yep…we are dealing with this garbage. It’s ridiculous

We also ended up with a submitted form that I did not sign. I couldn’t sign it as the signature section was greyed out and inaccessible. Despite this, the form submitted. I researched this issue and it has happened to a lot of people. Such rank incompetence.

 

[GigGoo]

Abolish the DoEd.

 

[IUCrazy2]

This is and continues to be an unmitigated disaster. First, a form that has been available on October 1, was slated to be released on December 31. The form they released 3 months late was a beta version that was only intermittently available. Now they are telling kids, parents, and colleges to check back “sometime” in mid March to see if they have anything fixed.

Now, instead of receiving FAFSA forms for evaluation on a rolling basis over several months, college admission offices will receive 10s of thousands all at one time. Decision dates will have to be pushed back to the summer.

Also, many scholarships require the student to attach the completed FAFSA form and aid calculation. A bunch of scholarships are due today and kids won’t be able to file because the scholarship web page was not set up to account for the FAFSA form not being available.

Millions of college students in limbo after FAFSA information delayed until March

The delay is the result of Education Department's previously reported inflation-calculation mistake.

www.nbcnews.com

Glad the adults are back in charge and norms have been reestablished.

 

[UncleMark]

Excuse my ignorance, but is this an online form you have to complete and make available to the prospective colleges? And I assume the revamp is a mess? Like the original rollout of the healthcare.gov site? Maybe Biden should call Google and tell them to put their best people on it and fix it once and for all, like Obama did with the ACA site.

 

[hookyIU1990]

Excuse my ignorance, but is this an online form you have to complete and make available to the prospective colleges? And I assume the revamp is a mess? Like the original rollout of the healthcare.gov site? Maybe Biden should call Google and tell them to put their best people on it and fix it once and for all, like Obama did with the ACA site.

The sad thing is it was probably part of an 8 figure multi-year contract with Accenture or similar firm who then staffed the entire thing offshore in Bangalore.

 

[Cortez88]

Yes, it was a redo of the FAFSA form. This is something they knew about and planned on for 3 years. They got it done on literally the last day 12/31/2023 and it was garbage. They shut it down and hope to have it back up in 6 weeks. I’m not holding my breath.

 

[kraft cheese+macaroni]

Yes, it was a redo of the FAFSA form. This is something they knew about and planned on for 3 years. They got it done on literally the last day 12/31/2023 and it was garbage. They shut it down and hope to have it back up in 6 weeks. I’m not holding my breath.

We submitted ours today. The form was easy. Registration was a joke.

 

[UncleMark]

Yes, it was a redo of the FAFSA form. This is something they knew about and planned on for 3 years. They got it done on literally the last day 12/31/2023 and it was garbage. They shut it down and hope to have it back up in 6 weeks. I’m not holding my breath.

I doubt anyone here but me had to deal with it, but the ACA site was junk initially. Fortunately, it got fixed in plenty of time and proved to be a godsend. It also worked great for my Medicare supplement when the time came. I would counsel patience.

 

[Spartans9312]

I doubt anyone here but me had to deal with it, but the ACA site was junk initially. Fortunately, it got fixed in plenty of time and proved to be a godsend. It also worked great for my Medicare supplement when the time came. I would counsel patience.

Patience? I believe some of the scholarship deadlines for IU were today.

I quit paying attention and told the boss I didn’t want to hear any more about it.

 

[BradStevens]

Yes, it was a redo of the FAFSA form. This is something they knew about and planned on for 3 years. They got it done on literally the last day 12/31/2023 and it was garbage. They shut it down and hope to have it back up in 6 weeks. I’m not holding my breath.

Maybe they’ll forget to incorporate the new rule that you get no offset for multiple kids?

 

[UncleMark]

Patience? I believe some of the scholarship deadlines for IU were today.

Then take it up with IU. It's not like they aren't going to know what's going on. Not to mention that everyone else is in the same predicament. They're not singling anyone out.

 

[Cortez88]

Then take it up with IU. It's not like they aren't going to know what's going on. Not to mention that everyone else is in the same predicament. They're not singling anyone out.

This is the same IU that makes you put down a non refundable deposit for dorms starting 2/1. 3 months before decision day.

 

[UncleMark]

This is the same IU that makes you put down a non refundable deposit for dorms starting 2/1. 3 months before decision day.

Again, take it up with IU. Nothing to do with the DOE.

 

[larsIU]

This is the same IU that makes you put down a non refundable deposit for dorms starting 2/1. 3 months before decision day.

That NIL money ain't gonna raise itself.

But that is bullshit.

 

[Cortez88]

Again, take it up with IU. Nothing to do with the DOE.

My point was that IU doesn’t really care. But yes I agree with you that the IU issues are separate from the DOE issues. IU should react to the DOE f*ck up by offering kids a break. We will see what happens.