Some students may be unable to receive their financial aid money in time to pay their bills, with classes only a few weeks away, after the Education Department announced Tuesday that colleges will not be able to submit corrections to financial aid records in bulk this year.
The announcement is yet another obstacle for students during what has been a turbulent rollout in the overhaul of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. Since the new form was released in December 2023, the rollout has been plagued by delays, glitches and processing errors in a system that helps millions of college students receive critically needed financial aid.
The department announced on Tuesday that “batch corrections” would be deferred until the 2025-2026 FAFSA cycle, after previously saying in June that it would be available by mid-August.
