"FAFSA Delays: Education Department Accused of Negligence, Lawmakers Extend Deadline"

The Department of Education has identified a vendor's calculation error affecting several hundred thousand financial aid forms, potentially causing further delays in students' aid awards and college decisions. This adds to the complications in the FAFSA process, which has already been marked by delays and glitches after the release of an updated version of the financial aid form. The error impacts ISIRs sent to schools prior to March 21, but the Department of Education has provided workaround instructions for colleges to process the affected ISIRs. The new FAFSA version, released at the end of last year, is expected to make more students eligible for financial aid, but its implementation has faced criticism and delays.