An Error in the FAFSA Could Lower Financial Aid for College Students

The Education Department has failed to update guidelines used to calculate eligibility for financial aid, an error that could result in students’ receiving less scholarship and grant money for college next school year.
The mistake is the latest hiccup in the agency’s implementation of a three-year-old bipartisan law to simplify and ease requirements for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The redesign of the form, which is critical for students seeking federal, state and institutional aid, has been beset by delays that the department blames on the complexity of the changes required. Advocates and lawmakers have been sympathetic but are frustrated with the execution of the law.