Department of Education takes steps to speed up college financial aid awards after bumpy FAFSA rollout [Video]

WASHINGTON — The Department of Education said Tuesday that it’s taking steps to speed up college financial aid awards for the upcoming 2024-25 school year after a bumpy rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA.

It’s the first time students and their families are using a simpler version of the FAFSA to apply for student loans and grants. With the new form, more students are expected to be eligible for more financial aid – but the rollout has been plagued with delays.

First, the form – which is usually released on October 1 – wasn’t widely available until early January. Then, after making a last-minute change to the financial aid calculation, the Department of Education said that it won’t be able to transfer students’ financial information to colleges until the first half of March – more than a month later than expected.

The Department of …