FAFSA: Education Needs to Improve Communications and Support Around the Free Application for Federal Student Aid
Fast Facts
We testified on Education's troubled rollout of its newly simplified student aid application. Students rely on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid—FAFSA—to determine their eligibility for federal grants and loans.
Education streamlined the form this application cycle to make the process easier for students. But the rollout was delayed 3 months. Multiple technical issues also blocked some students from completing the form. Support for students was also lacking—about three-quarters of calls to Education's call center went unanswered.
We recommended Education address these issues to avoid similar problems next time.
Highlights
What GAO Found
The Department of Education's rollout of the new simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) was delayed by 3 months from the traditional October launch and hampered by a series of technical problems that blocked some students from completing the application. This contributed to about 9 percent fewer high school seniors and other first-time applicants submitting a FAFSA, with the largest declines among lower-income students, according to Education data as of August 25, 2024. The new process also created additional barriers, including an inefficient process for students' parents or spouses who lacked a Social Security number to verify their identities. This process prevented some families from even accessing the application. Rather than simplifying access to student financial aid—one of the department's strategic goals—the FAFSA rollout created roadblocks for some students and their families.
Decline in FAFSA Submissions, Current Compared to Prior Application Cycle
Note: Data are through August 25th of each cycle.
Education did not consistently provide students with timely and sufficient information or support necessary to complete the new FAFSA. Nearly three-quarters of calls to Education's call center went unanswered during the first 5 months of the rollout due to understaffing. Education also did not provide timely information to students about processing delays or how they could navigate technical problems. For example, Education's guidance instructed call center representatives to advise some students facing technical problems to just “try again later” rather than proactively notifying them when the problem was resolved, which sometimes took months. Education's lack of timely support and clear communications stoked confusion among FAFSA applicants.
Total Calls to Education's Call Center, First 5 Months of FAFSA Application Cycle, January-May 2024
Education did not provide colleges with reliable timeframes or communicate changes to colleges in a timely manner. For example, Education did not give colleges any advanced warning that it would not meet promised deadlines for delivering the student records colleges needed to develop aid offers. As a result, colleges were uncertain when they could send aid offers to students as well as when they could disburse student funds. With the next FAFSA application cycle beginning by December 2024, Education still has an opportunity to learn from its recent struggles and make the financial aid process easier for everyone.
Why GAO Did This Study
The FAFSA is the entry ramp to federal grants and loans that many students depend on to afford college. Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act in 2020 in part to make it easier to apply for federal aid. However, Education's rollout of the new FAFSA has suffered from numerous challenges and delays.
GAO was asked to review the simplified FAFSA rollout. This statement assesses (1) how Education's rollout of the new FAFSA affected students, (2) the extent to which Education provided students with information and support, and (3) the extent to which Education provided colleges with timely communications. This statement is a companion to GAO's related statement on FAFSA system issues (GAO-24-107783).
To conduct this work, GAO analyzed Education data on FAFSA submissions and processing for the current application cycle (2024-25) and comparable data for the prior year. GAO also examined data and performance metrics from Education's call center for the same periods, interviewed Education officials and other key stakeholders from higher education associations and reviewed relevant federal laws and guidance.
Recommendations
GAO is making seven recommendations to Education to ensure it is prepared for the start of the next FAFSA cycle by December 2024. These recommendations include that Education overhaul the submission process for parents and spouses without Social Security numbers, ensure sufficient call center staffing, and communicate timely information to students and timeframes to colleges.
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Office of Federal Student Aid | The Chief Operating Officer of the Office of Federal Student Aid should develop an outreach strategy to identify and connect with students who did not submit a FAFSA application this cycle (2024-25) due to delays and technical issues, and to provide them with the information they need to apply during the upcoming cycle (2025-26). (Recommendation 1) |
Department of Education officials reported that the department began an outreach campaign in December 2024 that included emails to students who started a 2024-25 form but did not submit it. These emails reportedly provided information on how to apply during the new application cycle. We will consider closing this recommendation when Education provides documentation of these emails to students who started but did not complete an application during the prior cycle or its outreach strategy for connecting with these students.
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| Office of Federal Student Aid |
Priority Rec.
The Chief Operating Officer of the Office of Federal Student Aid should review the FAFSA application process to identify ways to reduce the burden on students and families by addressing the remaining technical issues and streamlining the process for parent or spouse contributors to reduce the total time it takes to complete the FAFSA form. (Recommendation 2) |
Education neither agreed nor disagreed with this recommendation. In January 2025, Education officials reported that FSA had implemented changes to improve the user experience and streamline the completion of the FAFSA. However, multiple technical issues remain that continue to affect some students and their families, making it harder for them to complete a FAFSA. This includes certain problems entering a spouse's financial information into the application, occasional roadblocks that prohibit students from proceeding to the next section of the form, and issues when parents try to make a correction. Education still must take action to address these remaining technical issues and review the FAFSA application process to identify additional ways to reduce the burden on students and families. We await further progress on these efforts, including Education's plan to update the contributor invitation process in the next award cycle.
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| Office of Federal Student Aid | The Chief Operating Officer of the Office of Federal Student Aid should overhaul its submission process for students whose parent or spouse contributors do not have Social Security numbers to address additional application barriers. This should include making the identity verification process more efficient and determining how to use Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers to transfer this population's tax data from the IRS. (Recommendation 3) |
Department of Education officials reported in March 2026 that the department has plans to redesign the process for inviting contributors to a student's FAFSA, including for contributors who do not have Social Security numbers, for the 2026-27 cycle. Education is also planning to update the process for those with Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers to transfer their data from the IRS. We will monitor the progress of these efforts.
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| Office of Federal Student Aid | The Chief Operating Officer of the Office of Federal Student Aid should improve translation services by providing a clear path to support for languages other than English and Spanish through the call center menu and progress toward making the FAFSA application available in languages other than English and Spanish. (Recommendation 4) |
As of March 2025, the Department of Education addressed this recommendation. Education now provides language support on the Federal Student Aid website in 10 additional languages other than English and Spanish. This support includes instructions to students and families for requesting an interpreter through the call center and guides in these languages for completing the FAFSA.
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| Office of Federal Student Aid | The Chief Operating Officer of the Office of Federal Student Aid should plan for and ensure hiring of sufficient staff to increase capacity at the Federal Student Aid Information Center call center to be able to meet call demand and improve customer service. (Recommendation 5) |
In September 2024, Education announced that it had increased staff at the Federal Student Aid Information Center call center. As of April 2025, the department reported that the call center has reduced hold times to reach a representative to less than a minute. We will continue to monitor the call center's staffing levels throughout the 2025-26 FAFSA cycle to ensure it consistently maintains sufficient staff to support students and meet call demand.
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| Office of Federal Student Aid | The Chief Operating Officer of the Office of Federal Student Aid should develop a comprehensive plan for providing FAFSA applicants with timely updates on the status of their application and solutions to technical barriers. (Recommendation 6) |
Education officials reported in March 2025 that they have sent communications to affected students when system fixes have resolved issues that prevented applicants from completing their FAFSA. However, Education has not provided documentation of a communication plan for updating students on the status of their application. Such a plan would benefit FAFSA applicants by ensuring timely communications regarding the status of their application and solutions to technical barriers.
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| Office of Federal Student Aid | The Chief Operating Officer of the Office of Federal Student Aid should develop policies to communicate key milestones of the 2025-26 FAFSA and future cycles to colleges and stakeholders in a timely and reliable manner. (Recommendation 7) |
The Department of Education has taken initial steps to address this recommendation by providing colleges with frequent and early updates on key milestones during the 2025-26 FAFSA cycle. Education also has plans to create a centralized website to provide information and updates to colleges and other stakeholders. We will continue to monitor Education's efforts to implement this recommendation.
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