This year’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form opened three months late
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is pressing the Biden Administration to address financial aid delays for Georgia students.
Sen. Ossoff joined a group of colleagues calling on the Department of Education to urgently address operational issues with the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form that is impacting millions of students in Georgia and across the country.
According to reports by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and WABE, delays with the rollout of the new FAFSA system are preventing many Georgia students from being able to make decisions about their enrollment and are similarly hurting Georgia colleges and universities’ abilities to send accurate financial aid offers to students.
The FAFSA form typically opens on October 1 but didn’t open until December 30, 2023.
“We were pleased to see the recent announcement of the Department’s plans to provide additional resources and support for under-resourced high schools and colleges to assist their students with the FAFSA form, and to deploy federal staff to support aid efforts,” Sen. Ossoff and the group wrote. “We urge the Department to distribute these resources and tools to schools and institutions of higher education as quickly as possible, and to clearly communicate with stakeholders about the ways to access these resources and how these new resources will support students, families, and student aid administrators in submitting and processing the FAFSA form.”
According to The Associated Press, over 17 million students fill out the FAFSA form each year as a first step to access the financial aid needed to help cover the costs of higher education.
Sen. Ossoff continues working to help Georgia students afford higher education and expand access to workforce development programs.
In September, Sen. Ossoff delivered new resources through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) for Wiregrass Georgia Technical College to expand their truck driver training program and boost job creation in the region.
In November, Sen. Ossoff also delivered $749,896 through the Economic Development Administration (EDA) to Spelman College as part of the Center for Black Entrepreneurship Launch Incubator for Traction (CBE LIFT) project.
In July, Sen. Ossoff launched an inquiry with the Department of Labor (DOL) to reopen the Job Corps Atlanta site, which provided housing and tailored professional training to students seeking jobs in Georgia.
In May, Sen. Ossoff championed efforts in the U.S. Senate to the pass the bipartisan JOBS Act to help more students access and afford job training programs. The bill would ensure students across Georgia enrolled in high-quality short-term skills and job training programs have access to Pell Grants to complete their education and workforce development programs.
Click here to read the full letter.
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