Despite the efforts of lawmakers to legislate a course correction, the U.S. Department of Education continues to struggle with a key financial aid form. In July, bills were introduced in both the House and Senate that would require this year’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA to be released in October. The Department of Education has since announced 2025-26 FAFSA won’t be released until December 1.
The FAFSA is typically available October 1. Last year, however, the Department of Education did not release the 2024-25 version until late December, greatly complicating the efforts of students, families, and colleges to plan for the coming academic year. The delay was the result of a well-intentioned initiative to simplify the notoriously complex FAFSA. As it happens, the holdup proved to be the first of many problems. Technical issues continued to bedevil the revised form throughout the spring.
Just how bad has it been? As recently as May, many students were receiving error-filled Student Aid Index (SAI) reports after completing the new FAFSA. The SAI is an eligibility index number that financial aid offices use to determine the size of federal student aid packages.
May 1 is traditionally the deadline for college-bound high school seniors to commit to a college or university in the fall. This year, the FAFSA debacle delayed college aid offers, leaving many students uncertain about their options. To compensate, numerous institutions pushed their commitment deadlines back to mid-May or June.
For the uninitiated, the FAFSA serves as a kind of documental master key that unlocks all manner of student aid. Educational institutions as well as federal and state agencies require students to fill it out to become eligible for scholarships, grants, and loans, as do many private organizations that provide financial assistance for college. The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara, for instance, requires applicants to complete the FAFSA or the California Dream Act Application.
As is often the case in our educational system, low-income students stand to bear the brunt of continuing problems with the FAFSA. Such students disproportionately rely on federal aid, and without knowing how much money is available to them may delay attending college or forgo it entirely. According to one estimate, the number of low-income students who completed the FAFSA was down more than 34 percent this year from last.
Our organization has been at the forefront of efforts to help local students and their families deal with this unfortunate situation. The Scholarship Foundation employs full-time program advisors in Northern and Southern Santa Barbara County to guide students through the college financial aid process, including completing the FAFSA. This year, our advisors have devoted considerable time to helping students overcome the uncertainty and delays stemming from the form’s botched rollout. In fact, our efforts to demystify the FAFSA and college financial aid generally continue to this day.
Parents routinely tell us how grateful they are for these efforts. The mother of one first-generation student recently pulled me aside and confided that her family would not have been able to navigate the financial process without our help.
Over the last five years, our program advisors have worked with more than 35,000 North County students and family members on financial aid matters. Countywide, our advisors help Scholarship Foundation recipients leverage tens of millions of dollars in additional aid each year. This is important work, and we take great pride in providing this service to the public free of charge.
I would ask readers to keep in mind that this program is unique to our community. We are honored to serve local families in this way.