The already dizzyingly confusing process of applying for financial aid was further complicated this year when the federal government postponed the release of the updated FAFSA from October to December.
Theoretically, the new FAFSA, which stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid, would be a boon to students and families. The delay is to ensure a simplified version of the form is ready. It’s expected to feature fewer questions and contain data automatically supplied by the Internal Revenue Service, which would spare college applicants and families from parsing old tax documents.
