The FAFSA Drama Continues

The FAFSA drama continues. From Inside Higher Ed:

Congress moved Thursday to fix an error in the legislation overhauling the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, days after the Education Department announced it was updating the formula for aid eligibility to comply with the law. The formula change would’ve made more students eligible for the Pell Grant, federal aid for low-income students—a move the Biden administration touted in a news release Tuesday. But Congress balked at the change, which was the result of an error in the initial legislation, and addressed the issue in the continuing resolution that passed Thursday to fund the government through March 22.

Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, the Independent who chairs the Senate education committee, said in a statement that 100,000 students would lose access as a result of the continuing resolution. That figure could be higher, based on department data that showed 7.3 million students were expected to be eligible for Pell Grants as a result of the formula change and other implementation efforts. The department had previously estimated that about 5.2 million students would qualify for the grant...

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/03/01/congress-passes-fafsa-formula-fix.