FAFSA Fiasco 2.0

How the USDOE May Have Set Itself and Students Up

What is keeping me up at night? What isn’t? Between my geriatric sundowning Beagle who is waking up two times a night and the Signal-Gate situation, I have been force fed ads for eye cream and CBD gummies on my social media feed.

The dismantling of the Department of Education isn’t keeping me up at night, rather it is making me twitch and shout with every reminder of FAFSA deadlines and reminders. You see, while none of us have been through a scenario like the one we are enduring at the hands of DOGE and McMahon, each of us is well aware of the “FAFSA FIASCO” of 2024-25.

The "FAFSA Fiasco" of 2024-25 was a stark reminder of how critical financial aid is to college access and retention. The unprecedented delays in FAFSA processing and distribution wreaked havoc on enrollment, with full-time freshman enrollment plummeting by 6.3% in the fall of 2024. This wasn't just a hiccup; it was a seismic shift that left one in nine students uncommitted to a college despite being certain they'd attend in the fall. The ripple effects were felt most acutely by those who could least afford the uncertainty – low-income, Black, and Latino students saw FAFSA submissions nosedive by a staggering 42.9%.

For returning students, the chaos was equally disruptive. A quarter of undergrads and grad students reported that FAFSA delays jeopardized their ability to stay enrolled. The numbers were even more dire for Black and Latino students, with 36% and 31% respectively facing potential unenrollment due to the delays. This wasn't just about paperwork; it was about dreams deferred and educational journeys derailed. The "FAFSA Fiasco" laid bare the fragility of our financial aid system and how a bureaucratic blunder can have life-altering consequences for students across the nation.

It appears that the current administration saw blood in the water, taking full advantage of the ripple effects of the 2024-25 mess, and have decided let’s put another barrier in the road to degree attainment. Indeed, for those who consider themselves progressive, the acts of the current administration are infuriating, but I have acknowledged that while unintended, the Democrats may have given the Heritage foundation the idea. If you gum up the works on disbursements, less underserved, and minority students will apply or continue in college.

For this reason, institutions of Higher Education must evaluate their current policies and practice and consider what is coming next. Will they meet their admissions goals? Will their retention be hit - yet again? How will we encourage and support our students through the second consecutive year of “FAFSA Fatigue”?

As we face this unprecedented challenge, it's clear that HigherEd institutions must become the vanguard of student support and financial accessibility. We must define what being ‘student centered’ means when it comes to the incredibly stressful fiscal challenges and uncertainties that students and their families are currently facing. The dismantling of the Department of Education isn't just a policy shift; it's a call to action for colleges and universities to innovate, adapt, and above all, protect the dreams of our students.

The "FAFSA Fatigue" may be real, but our commitment to education must be unwavering. It's time for higher education to become more nimble, innovative and strategic. Ensuring that the path to a degree isn't derailed by bureaucratic breakdowns or political maneuvering. Our students' futures – and possibly the future of our democracy and the ideals of our system of higher education – depend on our ability to rise to this occasion.

So, as I lie awake, eyes packed with eye cream I realized it’s not just my Beagle barking in her sleep keeping me up. It's the crushing weight of responsibility HigherEd is experiencing. The FAFSA Fiasco 2.0 has become a nightly visitor. But unlike my Beagle's sundowning, this is a crisis we can't simply wait out. It's time we all lose a little sleep over this – not in worry, but in strategic planning and innovation. After all, the future of US HigherEd and the dreams of countless students, are worth a few sleepless nights.