‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ on FAFSA

The bungled rollout of this year’s new Free Application for Federal Student Aid started with a two-month delay, pushing the usual Oct. 1 launch date to the end of December—a shift that raised eyebrows across higher ed and portended the disastrous financial aid cycle that followed. So when U.S. education secretary Miguel Cardona appeared at House hearing on the issue last month, it’s no surprise lawmakers repeatedly asked him to commit to a timely release for this year’s form.