The Training Division has tapped School Board president Jeremy Singer to serve in a brand new function overseeing the rollout of subsequent yr’s Free Utility for Federal Scholar Assist.
The information, supplied first to Inside Greater Ed, comes as increased training teams have grown more and more involved that the company received’t launch a working FAFSA on time—by Oct. 1—after this yr’s software confronted quite a few delays and technical glitches. Training Secretary Miguel Cardona has repeatedly assured Congress, schools and households that the shape can be prepared—and that the appliance can be higher.
Bringing on Singer, a know-how options knowledgeable who oversaw the event and launch of the brand new digital SAT, is the clearest sign but that the division is shaking up its FAFSA strategy as a part of different “transformational modifications” on the Workplace for Federal Scholar Assist (FSA). The shape is essential to unlocking billions in federal, state and institutional help for hundreds of thousands of scholars.
“I’m honored to hitch a crew whose work is important to households throughout the nation,” Singer mentioned in a press release Friday. “It’s unattainable to overstate the significance of FAFSA in making school attainable for hundreds of thousands of scholars. I’m desperate to hearken to college students, households and educators who depend on FAFSA. We’ll do the whole lot we will to ship an improved expertise to raised serve college students.”
Singer, who has been president of the School Board since 2013, is a well-recognized face for schools and universities, a few of whom have grown skeptical of the Training Division over its dealing with of the FAFSA. Singer can be taking short-term go away from the School Board to be the FAFSA govt adviser. In that function, he’ll lead FSA’s technique on the 2025–26 FAFSA in addition to work with the division “to strengthen inside techniques and processes, bolster technical capabilities, and drive innovation to assist guarantee optimum efficiency” of the appliance’s launch.
“Jeremy brings deep expertise having efficiently led the event and introduction of main know-how improvements in training, which can be integral to enhancing the FAFSA expertise and making certain hundreds of thousands of scholars and households can simply entry the federal monetary help they’re entitled to,” Cardona mentioned in a press release.
In interviews Friday, School Board trustees praised Singer and his management fashion, expressing confidence in his means to proper the FAFSA ship. Derek Kindle, who’s vice provost for enrollment administration on the College of Wisconsin at Madison, mentioned that Singer will deliver candor and a solutions-oriented strategy to Federal Scholar Assist in addition to expertise with advanced technological techniques and points.
“I feel it’s a wise and savvy transfer to decide on Jeremy due to his skillset,” he mentioned. “I do know Jeremy is the kind of one who can get in a room, get folks collectively and get them on the identical web page in direction of the mission.”
Gail Holt, dean of economic help at Amherst School and a School Board trustee, mentioned that Singer is well-versed in what households and establishments want and understands the monetary help timeline.
“So I’m enthusiastic about it,” she mentioned. “It offers me hope and promise at a interval that for a monetary help neighborhood has actually been dwindling these many months.”
Following the varied FAFSA delays and challenges, Holt mentioned that her crew at Amherst is “managing and pivoting in addition to might be anticipated.” They’re about midway by getting returning college students their help info.
Having Singer on the helm offers her extra belief within the course of for subsequent yr. “I can’t stress sufficient, if he’s obtained the fitting folks with him, which I consider he’ll, he can set a course that can get us again on monitor,” she mentioned. “… The School Board as a complete may be very effectively aware of how instruments and sources can create a bridge for college kids to get from secondary college to increased ed to their future.”
Justin Draeger, president of the Nationwide Affiliation of Scholar Monetary Assist Directors, mentioned in a press release that the division wants to make sure the FAFSA errors will not be repeated within the upcoming cycle.
“It’s encouraging to see the division is committing further sources and manpower to course appropriate for subsequent yr, and reassuring to listen to they continue to be dedicated to an October 1 launch,” Draeger mentioned. “It is crucial that all the system, from software submission to processing, is operative on October 1, and that the Division clearly articulates that performance to all stakeholders alongside the best way.”
Along with hiring Singer, the division introduced a collection of listening classes over the approaching weeks to tell how the company can higher assist college students, households, schools, states and different companions through the 2025–26 FAFSA cycle. Moreover, the division mentioned Friday that the appliance for 2025–26 will “stay constant” with this yr’s kind in an effort to decrease disruptions.
On the path of Congress, the division overhauled the shape for the 2024–25 educational yr in an effort to make it less complicated to make use of. Congress additionally dictated quite a few modifications to the underlying methodology that determines how a lot monetary help a scholar is eligible for, which opened up the Pell Grant to 1000’s of extra college students. The modifications took longer than the division initially deliberate, and proved more difficult. The division’s information launch mentioned that the company has made “important progress” in addressing and resolving “main identified points” with the 2024–25 software.
Nonetheless, officers acknowledged the toll of the rocky rollout.
“The expansive scope and timeline of the modifications for twenty-four–25 has been difficult for college kids, households, establishments, states, and organizations that assist them,” officers mentioned within the launch.
The division has acquired and processed greater than 11.1 million help functions. The tempo of functions has involved schools who anxious that the FAFSA points would deter some college students from pursuing postsecondary training. In March, the division had acquired 40 p.c fewer functions than traditional, although that hole has since closed to eight p.c, based on Friday’s information launch.
To additional shut that hole, the division introduced a $50 million FAFSA Scholar Assist Technique to fund efforts to spice up FAFSA completion charges. Up to now, greater than $30 million has been awarded to greater than 180 organizations.
This text has been up to date.