Biden’s education secretary apologizes for FAFSA rollout amid new concerns about next year

USA TODAY

Zachary Schermele

May 7, 2024

It may be too little, too late for some, but the top education official in the Biden administration showed remorse Tuesday for making college financial aid less accessible to some students this year.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona apologized to students and families for a series of calamitous delays in the aid process as a bipartisan group of lawmakers raised new concerns about the likelihood of similar troubles in the next admissions cycle.

Cardona said at a congressional hearing that his agency has largely resolved the problems with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. Although millions of forms have been successfully submitted, he acknowledged that the congressionally required improvements to the FAFSA, which many students rely on to receive government help paying for college, have been “frustrating” and “challenging.”