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U.S. Department of Education Launches Initiative to Make College Accessible for All

- by Maryann Pugh
US Department of Education

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Education this week launched an initiative to help make college more accessible for everyone. With its FAFSA College Support Strategy, the Department aims to streamline the FAFSA form procedure and help educational institutions process student records quickly and accurately.

Since its introduction, the 2024-25 FAFSA form has seen more than 3.6 million successful submissions. These submissions are crucial to making higher education more affordable and attainable, especially in light of the current economic climate.

The FAFSA College Support Strategy is a three-pronged approach:

  1. The robust strategy kicks off by deploying federal personnel with expertise in financial aid to colleges. Their mission is to ensure that colleges have the right tools and information to process financial aid packages efficiently, especially colleges lacking resources.
  2. Second, it provides funding for technical assistance to colleges in need. To bolster the support, $50 million federal funding will be directed to non-profit groups that specialize in financial aid services. Their role will be to boost technical assistance and support for colleges that need it the most.
  3. Lastly, new tools will be released to help colleges process student records and deliver financial aid packages speedily and precisely. The department will start releasing test versions of institutional student financial aid information records in the coming weeks. The aim is to help colleges prepare their systems and processes to put together aid packages more efficiently.

The U.S. Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, enthused about the strategy, proclaiming that ‘The Better FAFSA is transformational. We are determined to get this right. We must, and we will.’

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The Department is also setting up a concierge service within the Office of Federal Student Aid. This service will provide colleges with a direct line to financial aid experts who can offer personalized support based on an institution’s needs.

To keep the ball rolling, the department started posting new data and resources last Friday to help schools drive FAFSA completion. The Department has also launched a new resource that offers tips to FAFSA applicants for successfully completing and submitting the 2024-25 FAFSA form.

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