- As FAFSA problems continue, criticism of the U.S. Department of Education reaches a fever pitch.
- Former top student loan official Wayne Johnson accused the Education Department of “malicious negligence” in a letter to U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and other senior officials, which he shared with CNBC.
Harsh words are being directed at the U.S. Department of Education as problems with the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid continue into the spring.
Former top student loan official Wayne Johnson accused the Education Department of “malicious negligence” in a recent letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and other senior officials, which he shared with CNBC.
Johnson, who served as chief operating officer of the Office of Federal Student Aid from 2017 to 2019 and is currently running for Congress, said: “We cannot continue to whitewash this evolving disaster with 'corporate crisis communications.' “This is extremely irresponsible,” he wrote.
“You all are individually and collectively responsible for the incredible level of harm inflicted on our students and schools,” Johnson wrote.
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Johnson's tenure as the FSA's chief operating officer was “short-lived,” an agency spokesperson told CNBC in a communication, “during which time he was the FSA's chief operating officer. None of the changes were implemented successfully.”
“We also note that the FAFSA Simplification Act does not just require a new format, but an overhaul of the formula and process for providing financial aid to students,” a department spokesperson said in a statement. ” he added.
Another group of Republican lawmakers also called for a federal investigation into the development and whether students were given enough information about the new process.
Indeed, the review was a “massive” undertaking imposed by Congress without additional funding or resources, a senior Education Department official said at a January news conference. “Our ‘north star’ here is making sure our students have the support they need to get into college.”
“If we are delayed any longer, we will be in trouble.”
The FAFSA serves as a gateway to all federal aid funds, including loans, work-study, and grants, the latter of which are the most desirable type of aid because they typically do not have to be repaid.
But data shows fewer students are applying for financial aid this year, and the U.S. Department of Education has announced new forms, including preventing contributors without Social Security numbers from starting or accessing applications. We are currently working to resolve ongoing technical issues.
“This adds to the list of can't-miss priorities that the department must accomplish in March, and provides the timeline that students and institutions so desperately want from the department,” said University President Justin Draeger. ”. National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. “Further delays would have a dire impact on both students and schools.”
Letters of award are typically sent around the same time as acceptance letters, so you can receive them by the National University Decision Day of May 1st, the deadline that many schools have for admitted students to decide on a college. , students can spend several weeks comparing offers.
Particularly 'scary' for those dependent on aid
For most students and their families, the college choice is determined by the amount of financial aid offered and the breakdown of grants, scholarships, work-study opportunities, and student loans.
“They've been admitted to school, but they don't know if they're going to be able to pay for school, and that's the problem,” said Lydia McNeely, college and career coordinator for the Hammond, Indiana, public school district. She said: “It's not fair across the board, but it's terrible for people who rely on financial aid letters.”
At Hammond, most of the high school seniors are first-generation college applicants who qualify for aid but face obstacles in their 2024-2025 applications, McNeely said.
“The message they're getting is they have to prove they're eligible to be on that campus,” she says. “That's really a slap in the face.”
Because of significant delays, many universities are now determining student aid packages based on their own calculations, which schools may not be able to comply with, or which could cause “tens of billions of dollars in unjustified losses.” “There may be an offer to issue certain financial aid benefits that have been paid,'' Johnson wrote.
“Furthermore, it is very likely that FAFSA-related system failures will continue to further disenfranchise the vast majority of students in 2025-2026,” Johnson added in the letter, adding that FAFSA-related system failures will likely continue to further disenfranchise the majority of students in 2025-2026. He emphasized how important the award of the award is in promoting admission to university.
Mr Johnson equated the possibility of an impending drop in enrollment to what was experienced at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when university attendance saw the largest drop in two years in 50 years.
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