In a move resulting in further disruption and concern to colleges and universities, as well as students and families, the Department of Education revealed that the latest update to the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process will further delay the delivery of Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) to schools and states until early- or mid-March.

This is an additional delay of approximately six weeks before the first batches of ISIRs will be sent out and adds further pressures on both student aid recipients and institutions.

The latest delay is due to the Department updating the underlying data tables that support the Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation to account for inflation. Per the Department, this will provide students with access to an additional $1.8 billion in federal aid.

Students’ SAI calculations will be automatically updated to reflect the inflation adjustment, and once the Department begins sending out the first batches of ISIRs to schools, students will also receive an email that informs them of their updated eligibility, confirms that their chosen schools have been sent their information, and allows them to make corrections or adjustments to their previously filed forms. According to the Department, this batch processing will eliminate the need to send corrected ISIRs in the spring.

The Department stated that more than 3.1 million students have successfully submitted their FAFSA since the form was opened at the end of December, which puts them on a slightly faster pace than in 2016, which was the last time the FAFSA was opened in January.

Further adjustments to Pell Grant awards will likely be needed once Congress completes the appropriations process and determines the Pell Grant maximum award for the 2024-2025 academic year, adding to this year’s chaos. Students’ ISIRs will be re-processed to reflect that update. More information can be found on the Office of Federal Student Aid’s electronic announcement page.