NASFAA's Off the Cuff Podcast

This week on "Off The Cuff," Melanie is joined by Megan, Sarah, and Nalia to discuss the latest updates around the reconciliation process after the Senate HELP Committee released its own portion of the bill this week that could make significant changes to higher education policy. Nalia begins by explaining how the reconciliation process works and what's ahead for Congress. Megan and Sarah then debrief on what changes the Senate seeks to make to the House's bill, which was initially released in April. From there, Sarah walks listeners through the latest verification guidance from the Department of Education (ED), including the questions NASFAA has over the guidance. Lastly, Melanie explains why NASFAA signed onto an amicus brief in support of Harvard University. 

This week on "Off The Cuff," Melanie and Karen discuss the latest developments concerning the reconciliation process, which now moves over to the Senate. While the Senate continues to work through the text, Karen provides some background on the chamber's dynamics, and Melanie provides context as to the timeline under which the chamber is operating and the impact a final bill could have on student financial aid. The team also digs into the administration's budget request for the upcoming fiscal year and recaps Education Secretary Linda McMahon's visit to Capitol Hill, where she defended the administration's request to decrease the maximum Pell Grant award for fiscal year (FY) 2026. Finally, Melanie and Karen explain some new guidance from ED concerning updated verification requirements.

This week on "Off the Cuff," David and Hugh discuss summer aid processing, focusing on rules for crossover payment periods and school flexibilities. The conversation specifically walks through the flexibilities offered to schools when assigning a header or a trailer to the award year and provides examples of summer and crossover periods. David then explains some issues a school must be aware of for crossover payment periods and more.

This week on "Off the Cuff," Hugh, Jill, and Sarah discuss how the resumption of student loan repayments and the Department of Education's (ED) planned resumption of collections will impact cohort default rates (CDR). Sarah and Jill provide some important background information on CDR and how the payment pause has impacted the accountability metric. Jill then walks listeners through a recent electronic announcement from ED urging schools to share repayment information with student borrowers.

This week on "Off the Cuff," Melanie is joined by Rachel, Hugh, Sarah, and Nalia to dive into how the congressional budgeting process could impact student financial aid. To kick things off, Melanie and Hugh discuss the latest developments in the reconciliation process, where a House committee recently advanced portions of the package that would make some drastic changes to programs housed within the Department of Education (ED). Sarah then provides members with a recap of three deep dive explainers that the policy has been working on to fully analyze the proposal. Rachel and Nalia then walk through more of the dynamics of the reconciliation process and outline how NASFAA members can make their voices heard by contacting their members of Congress. Nalia then catches listeners up on the president's “skinny” budget request, and the team wraps things up with some additional news out of ED concerning staffing hours and the start of a new Negotiated Rulemaking (NegReg) session.

This week on a special episode of "Off The Cuff," Beth is joined by NASFAA's new president and CEO Melanie Storey to answer questions submitted from NASFAA members. Melanie answers several questions, ranging from challenges with FAFSA simplification, the state of federal student aid, the current political climate, the future of the financial aid profession, and much more. Join us in welcoming Melanie to the NASFAA team!

This week on "Off The Cuff," Maria is joined by Jill, Megan, and Nalia to discuss several issues impacting the world of higher education. First, Megan debriefs listeners on this week's news that the Department of Education (ED) will resume the collections process for defaulted federal student loans. Then, Jill discusses the upcoming negotiated rulemaking (NegReg) public hearing on Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and other topics. Megan also provides a brief update on two lawsuits against ED, including one on the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan, and another from the American Federation of Teachers. From there, Megan highlights two new NASFAA FAQs for members to help navigate the resulting questions and concerns from President Donald Trump's executive order to dissolve ED. Lastly, Nalia runs through the budget appropriations process and what members can expect to see in the next few weeks. 

This week on "Off the Cuff," David and Maria discuss two topics associated with end-of-year issues, late disbursements and unofficial withdrawals. David kicks off the discussion on late disbursements by first going through some basic rules and then discussing different scenarios institutions may experience. From there, David and Maria discuss unofficial withdrawals, R2T4, and students who stopped attending an institution before the term ends. The duo ends the discussion by answering questions on the process.   

This week on "Off the Cuff," Jill and Sarah discuss NASFAA's submitted comments on the upcoming 2026-27 FAFSA and an updated resource, NASFAA's R2T4 decision trees. Jill highlights several key points NASFAA made in its submitted comments on the 2026–27 FAFSA, including the importance of the intended use of FAFSA data, FA-DDX working for contributors without a Social Security number, and more. Sarah then walk listeners through the latest R2T4 regulations, which were published in early January under the Biden administration. Sarah highlights NASFAA's updated R2T4 decision trees as a resource for members. 

This week on "Off the Cuff," Beth is joined by Jill and Hugh to discuss some of the latest headlines impacting student financial aid. Kicking things off on an exciting note, Beth provides some background on NASFAA's new President & CEO, Melanie Storey, who will be joining the team on May 1. Jill then shares some breaking news concerning ED's planned negotiated rulemaking session focusing on regulations that would streamline current federal student financial assistance programs with a focus on Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), Pay As You Earn (PAYE), and Income Contingent Repayment (ICR). Hugh then debriefs listeners on President Trump's executive order seeking to dismantle ED. Jill wraps things up with more updates on the application status of IDR plans that ongoing legal challenges have impacted.

This week on “Off The Cuff,” David and Hugh are joined by Tonya to discuss consumer information. The team works through a number of checklists that institutions should be aware of and dives into some potential blind spots or commonly misunderstood compliance requirements. David and Tonya then walk listeners through administrative capability requirements, guidance concerning Constitution and Citizenship Day educational programming, and more. 

This week on “Off the Cuff,” Beth is joined by Karen, Allie, and Hugh to dig into the Department of Education's (ED) plan to lay off nearly 50% of its workforce and the potential impacts on student financial aid programs. The team discusses many questions raised by the action and what we've learned since Tuesday's announcement. Karen and Hugh then discuss the chances of a government shutdown this weekend and provide updates on where things stand with a House-passed spending bill that could keep the government operational. The team then recaps last Friday's executive order seeking to revise PSLF eligibility.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Jill and Sarah discuss FAFSA updates concerning a new definition for Federal Tax Information (FTI) and 2026-27 guidance. Jill kicks things off by detailing the new FTI definition and its implications for data sharing policies. Sarah then walks through last week's electronic announcement from the department outlining the specifications guide for the 2026-27 FAFSA. Sarah then shares some updates on the identity verification process.  

This week on "Off The Cuff," Beth and Karen are joined by Megan and Jill to discuss multiple updates from the Department of Education (ED). Karen kicks off the episode by debriefing listeners on ED's Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) that directed institutions to cease using race preferences as a factor in admissions, financial aid, hiring, training, and other institutional programming, or be at risk of losing federal funding. Megan then discusses the latest updates with income-driven repayment (IDR) plans, including ED taking down the online application for the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) program and other income-based plans. From there, Jill unpacks the availability of batch correction functionality for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 FAFSA, and what financial aid professionals can expect. Lastly, the team discusses Linda McMahon's pending confirmation as ED secretary, and the pending executive order from President Donald Trump that could seek to dismantle ED. 

This week on "Off The Cuff," Allie and Karen are joined by Megan and Nalia to discuss the latest news reports that President Donald Trump is preparing to sign an executive order that would seek to dismantle the Department of Education. Karen and Megan debrief listeners on what NASFAA knows so far and walk through the complex roadmap that would be required to actually terminate ED. From there, Nalia updates listeners on a special budget tool known as the reconciliation process, which Congress is currently in the beginning stages of drafting, and how that legislation could impact higher education policies. 

This week on "Off the Cuff," David and Hugh work through some possible blindspots for standards for academic progress (SAP) and discuss how institutions can review their policies and procedures to ensure they are up to date with the latest regulatory requirements. David kicks things off with a walkthrough of qualitative and quantitative components that schools should be measuring and explains how institutions can calculate those requirements. David then provides more details on the evaluation and appeals process.

This week on "Off the Cuff," Jill and Sarah discuss some last-minute actions from the Biden administration impacting NSLDS Postscreening Results and the upcoming gainful employment (GE) and financial value transparency (FVT) reporting process. Jill kicks things off with a recap of the NSLDS postscreening functionality along with a new report that is now available to schools. Sarah then provides listeners with an update on beta testing for batch corrections and explains what the department's reopening of the gainful employment (GE) and financial value transparency (FVT) reporting process means for schools.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Beth and Karen are joined by U.S. Department of Education Under Secretary James Kvaal. With just a little under a week until a new administration takes over, James discusses ED's priorities over the past four years, including FAFSA simplification and student loan debt relief. The group also digs into the upcoming gainful employment (GE) and financial value transparency (FVT) institutional reporting deadline. Finally, James wraps things up by discussing what is next for ED as his tenure comes to an end.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Beth and Karen are joined by Jeremy Singer, the president of  College Board, who earlier this year was hired by the Department of Education (ED) to serve as FAFSA executive advisor for the launch of the 2025-26 FAFSA. During the episode, Jeremy reflects on his tenure at ED, which ended earlier this month, and answers questions from Beth and Karen on the rollout of the 2025-26 form, including beta testing of the new FAFSA. The team also discusses communication from the department to stakeholders on the launch of the 2025-26 FAFSA, and how ED rebuilds trust with the financial aid community. The episode ends with the team looking forward to the 2026-27 FAFSA.

This week on "Off the Cuff," Jill and Sarah recap last week's Federal Student Aid (FSA) Virtual Training Conference and detail what could happen with Biden administration regulations under the incoming Trump administration. Sarah kicks off the conversation by highlighting important information folks may have missed at the FSA conference, including FAFSA updates, batch corrections functionally, FA-DDX availability, and more. Jill then outlines possible paths the Trump administration may take with Biden-era regulations, including gainful employment (GE) and financial value transparency (FVT), student debt relief, Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4), distance education, TRIO programs, and more. 

This week on “Off The Cuff,” Hugh and David are joined by Tonya Hsiung, NASFAA U Program Manager, to discuss and answer some common questions, misconceptions and topics that catch some members by surprise in various NASFAA U courses. Topics discussed include loan fees, cost of attendance (COA), professional judgement (PJ), the Pell Grant recalculation date and more. David and Tonya provide a variety of examples and scenarios throughout the conversation and remind listeners that they can sign up for specific courses that spend weeks diving into a given topic through our NASFAA U course schedule.

This week on “Off the Cuff,” Hugh, Jill, and Sarah discuss the latest news on Gainful Employment (GE) and Financial Value Transparency (FVT). Sarah kicks things off with a recap of recent updates to the reporting requirements and new announcements concerning draft completers lists and NSLDS reports. Sarah and Jill then walk through some common questions on these recent updates and provide more details on where listeners can find information for the upcoming January 15 reporting deadline. 

This week on "Off The Cuff," Beth, Jill, Rachel, and Nalia discuss FAFSA updates and how the 2024 election may shape financial aid policy for the next administration. Jill kicks things off by debriefing listeners on several fixes the Department of Education (ED) has made to issues in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 FAFSA cycles. Then, Nalia and Rachel lead a discussion on what a Harris or Trump presidency could mean for financial aid policy. The team also briefly discusses how NASFAA develops its advocacy positions as a nonpartisan organization and how NASFAA advocates on the Hill. The team ends the episode discussing what we're keeping an eye out for in the upcoming 119th Congress. 

This week on "Off the Cuff," David and Hugh discuss multiple updates with the 2024-25 FAFSA, starting off with the latest processing timelines for the 2024-25 paper FAFSA. David then debriefs listeners on how to handle conflicting information related to Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs). The team also talks about resources from the Department of Education (ED) listing known issues with the 2024-25 FAFSA. David ends the episode by reminding listeners that the new deadline for gainful employment and financial value transparency reporting is January 15, 2025.

This week on "Off the Cuff," Sarah and Hugh discuss 2024-25 changes in documentation requirements related to Jay Treaty students and dig into the background of this guidance within the FSA Handbook. From there, Sarah debriefs listeners on several resources both NASFAA and the Department of Education (ED) have for institutions that were impacted by recent natural disasters. Sarah then explains some timely electronic announcements and Dear Colleague Letters that can help students and schools affected by these recent disasters.  

This week on "Off The Cuff," Beth and Karen are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations and national engagement, to discuss new updates with the FAFSA and the appropriations process. Karen begins by debriefing listeners on the latest news surrounding the 2025-26 FAFSA, which began its beta testing this week. She also provides listeners with an update on the reprocessing of 2024-25 Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) and the availability of the correction functionality for 2024-25 paper FAFSAs. From there, Jon catches listeners up on the enactment of a short-term spending resolution which now funds the government through mid-December. Beth concludes the episode by giving some updates on the College Cost Transparency Initiative, which recently celebrated its one year anniversary.

This week on “Off the Cuff,” Hugh, David, and Sarah discuss all things concerning professional judgment (PJ). David provides some key background information on PJ, including details on terminology and policy considerations for institutions. Sarah then catches listeners up on what is new for PJ in 2024-25, along with updates made due to FAFSA changes. The team then goes through different scenarios and whether or not they involve the use of professional judgment. 

This week on “Off the Cuff,” Hugh and Jill discuss the latest news surrounding the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan, and income-driven repayment (IDR) plans in general. Jill kicks things off with a background discussion on how the SAVE plan came to be through the negotiated rulemaking process and then catches listeners up on the legal challenges that have threatened the program. The conversation then highlights how financial aid administrators can help borrowers navigate through the current repayment landscape and discusses some NASFAA resources that listeners should be on the lookout for.

This week on "Off the Cuff," Beth, Karen, Jill, and Hugh are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations and national engagement, to discuss the latest news surrounding the 2025-26 FAFSA and the department's planned “beta” period for the form. The team then discusses the department's upcoming institutional reporting deadline for gainful employment (GE) and financial value transparency (FVT) regulations and highlights a recent bipartisan Senate letter calling for a delay. The group then wraps things up with a discussion about ongoing spending negotiations and what listeners can expect from Congress during the presidential election season.

This week on a special edition of “Off the Cuff,” Allie, Beth, and Karen, are joined by 2024-25 NASFAA National Chair Kristi Jovell of Middlebury College and National Chair-Elect Heidi Carl of Purdue University to break down the latest development from the Department of Education (ED) concerning batch corrections and the 2024-25 FAFSA. The team dives into the implications for schools and students, how ED could provide relief to financial aid professionals, and continuing advocacy efforts around gainful employment and financial value transparency reporting requirements.

This week on "Off the Cuff," Karen, Jill, and Hugh discuss the latest news surrounding Gainful Employment (GE) and Financial Value Transparency (FVT) regulations, as well as NASFAA's advocacy campaign to request that Congress take action to require the Department of Education (ED) to delay upcoming institutional reporting requirements. The team then debriefs the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the "Chevron deference" and how it could impact higher education policy. From there, Karen and Jill update listeners on the latest news with the FAFSA – including when batch corrections will be available and new guidance from ED. The team also discusses new legislation in Congress – the FAFSA Deadline Act – and updates with the appropriations process.

This week on a special episode of "Off The Cuff," Justin, Karen, and Allie are joined by former OTC podcast hosts, Stephen Payne, executive director of external relations at Muhlenberg College, and Megan Coval, interim president of Butler County Community College. Karen kicks off the episode by debriefing listeners on several NASFAA letters. The first letter was sent to the Department of Education (ED) on the 2025-26 FAFSA cycle, and a second letter was  sent to Congressional leaders requesting their assistance in securing a delay until July 2025 of the GE/FVT institutional reporting requirements (5:27-14:02). After the policy team update, the whole group reminisces on the early days of the podcast and share special memories as Justin departs from his role next week. 

This week on "Off the Cuff," Hugh, Jill, and David discuss several regulatory changes that become effective on July 1, 2024. Jill begins by giving a deep dive on some of the confusing elements of transcript withholding and details the Department of Education's (ED) regulatory approach to the issue. David then provides a brief overview of additional regulations that will also be going into effect on July 1. These more wide-reaching regulations include administrative capability, institutional eligibility to participate in Title IV programs, gainful employment, and more.

This week, on the 300th episode of “Off the Cuff,” Justin, Karen, and Allie discuss the most up-to-date FAFSA news, and preview the unique sessions being offered at the NASFAA National and Virtual Conferences. Karen kicks things off with an update on the Department of Education's (ED) FAFSA reprocessing work and outlines additional guidance that should be available in the days and weeks ahead. Justin then recaps a recent community letter that a number of higher education groups sent to Congress urging for policies that will strengthen the FAFSA process moving forward. Allie wraps things up with a preview of NASFAA's conferences and covers a few sessions she is most looking forward to.

This week on “Off The Cuff,” Allie, Jill, and David talk about the latest news on school corrections and dive into a discussion on crossover periods. Jill kicks things off by recapping the most recent electronic announcement from the Department of Education concerning the timelines for school ISIR corrections and processing for paper FAFSA submissions. David then goes over some rules for crossover payment periods and highlights how FAFSA simplification has impacted the process.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin, Karen, and Rachel are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations and national engagement, to recap a lengthy House hearing where Education Secretary Miguel Cardona sparred with Republicans over the department's budget request and the secretary's record. The team then recapped some exchanges centered on the 2024-25 FASFA and highlighted noteworthy student aid policies that came up during the hearing, which lasted over four hours. The conversation then turned to more updates on the ongoing FAFSA rollout and electronic announcements that could be delivered in the coming days.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin is joined by Jill and Rachel to discuss this week's announcement from the Department of Education (ED) of a temporary FAFSA filing fix for applicants and contributors without a Social Security number. From there, Rachel debriefs listeners on Education Secretary Miguel Cardona's testimony at a Senate appropriation subcommittee hearing this week. The group also discusses last week's announcement that FSA Chief Operating Officer Richard Cordray is stepping down from his position this summer.   

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin and Karen are joined by NASFAA Executive Vice President Beth Maglione and Director of Research Charlotte Etier to discuss Justin's announcement this week that he plans to step down from his role as NASFAA's president and CEO in June. From there, Karen debriefs listeners on more FAFSA updates, including where we stand with institutional corrections. Plus, Charlotte shares the results of NASFAA's latest poll on when institutions plan to send financial aid offers to students and what their disbursement timing may be. 

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin and Karen are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations and national engagement, to discuss the latest FAFSA updates of the past week, including news on the Department of Education's reprocessing of affected Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs). From there, Karen walks through the results of this week's NASFAA poll which asked members about their institutions' plans to send financial aid offers to students. Plus, Jon debriefs listeners of the Biden administration's proposed rules on student debt relief, and where the congressional appropriations process stands.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin, Karen, Rachel, and Tim discuss Justin's testimony this week before the House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development on the Department of Education's (ED) rollout of the 2024-25 FAFSA. Karen also debriefs listeners on the latest NASFAA poll asking members about which first-year undergraduate student populations, if any, they plan to send aid offers to by May 1. From there, the team discusses the latest FAFSA updates from ED on the status of reprocessing ISIRs, student corrections, and new guidance from the department. Finally, Rachel informs listeners on the latest news on the Biden administration's student debt relief plan. 

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin, Karen, and Tim discuss this week's news that the Department of Education (ED) identified three issues concerning tax data reported on FAFSA applicant records. The team dives into the details of those identified issues, and what the department is doing next — including the latest update to reprocess all affected records. Tim also provides context on how financial aid professionals are currently feeling amid these challenges. 

This week on “Off the Cuff,” Allie, Karen, and Rachel discuss the latest adjustments to the rollout of the 2024-25 FAFSA, including a miscalculation in the SAI formula. The team covers a number of other possible FAFSA issues and outlines what updates they would like to see from the Department of Education (ED) as the rollout begins to ramp up. Rachel then provides an update on the federal budget cycle, where Congress recently completed its work for the fiscal year 2024, and now turns to the president's budget request containing newly proposed funding levels for ED for fiscal year 2025.

This week on “Off the Cuff” Justin, Karen, Allie, and Tim are back with the latest news on the 2024-25 FAFSA with recent updates from the Department of Education (ED) about the delivery of Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs). The team dives into recent electronic announcements detailing updates, fixes, and troubleshooting issues impacting users without Social Security numbers, rejected ISIRs, and ongoing issues with EDconnect software. The discussion then turns to recent national reporting that provides more context into the ongoing struggles of the 2024-25 FAFSA launch.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin and Karen are joined by NASFAA Community Manager Tim Maggio to discuss the latest news surrounding the 2024-25 FAFSA, with a focus on the Department of Education's (ED) planned rollout of Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs). The team walks through each of the steps ED detailed in its recent electronic announcement and provides insight into the key timeline and benchmarks that the department is promising to meet in the coming weeks. Tim then shares some comments from members and the growing concerns that financial aid professionals have expressed over the 2024-25 FAFSA.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Allie and Karen are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations and national engagement, to discuss an update to the Student Aid Index (SAI) formula from the Department of Education (ED), which allows the Student's Contribution from Income (SCI) to have a negative calculated value with no floor. However, the team also discusses how a continuing resolution (CR) passed by the House would rescind that update. The team also walks through the latest updates around the Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act and the release of 100 system-generated test Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs).

This week on a special episode of "Off The Cuff," Justin and Karen are joined by Bill DeBaun, the National College Attainment Network's senior director of data and strategic initiatives, to discuss the 2024-25 FAFSA rollout. Bill debriefs listeners on trends found in NCAN's FAFSA Tracker, which tracks completion rates for the 2024-25 FAFSA cycle. Justin and Karen also discuss other news from the week, including the additional release of eight test Institutional Student Information Record (ISIRs) and new guidance from the Department of Education (ED) on how to submit the 2024-25 FAFSA if a contributor doesn't have a Social Security number. The team also talks through this week's announcement that ED began the 60-day comment period for Gainful Employment and Financial Value Transparency reporting requirements.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin and Karen are joined by Hugh to recap NASFAA's 2024 Leadership & Legislative Conference & Expo, and discuss the Department of Education's (ED) new "FAFSA College Support Strategy." Justin debriefs listeners on the new initiative, explains what NASFAA's partnership entails and how it will aim to help severely under-resourced institutions get ready to receive, and review, Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) in March. Additionally, the team discusses the latest news around the 2024-25 FAFSA rollout, including ED's commitment to release test versions of ISIRs by February 16, and this week's announcement that ED will significantly reduce verification requirements. 

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin and Karen are joined by Jon Fansmith, the American Council on Education's senior vice president of government relations, to discuss this week's news that institutions and states will begin receiving Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs) in the "first half of March." The team breaks down the announcement from the Department of Education, answers frequently asked questions, and shares NASFAA's efforts to advocate for financial aid offices. Additionally, the team debriefs two recent pieces of legislation, Rep. Virginia Foxx's College Cost Reduction Act and Rep. Bobby Scott's Roadmap to College Student Success.

This week in a special episode of “Off the Cuff,” the fun with FAFSA never stops! Justin, Karen, and Allie dive into the latest news surrounding the 2024-25 FAFSA timeline that is leading many higher education advocates and students to grow increasingly concerned about the impending time crunch for the annual aid cycle. The team digs into the Department of Education's (ED) announcement that it will update the tables used to protect a portion of a family's income and assets from being considered in the Student Aid Index (SAI) by inflation-adjusted amounts and how the department's mistake will impact the timing of financial aid offers. The team also covers some reaction to the FAFSA rollout in the media and on Capitol Hill.

This week on "Off the Cuff," Allie, Jill, and David recap the latest negotiated rulemaking session that focused on a number of issues, including cash management, distance education, R2T4, and more. Plus, the team dives into reported issues stemming from the FAFSA soft launch, some fixes that have been made available to students and families, and where financial aid professionals can keep tabs on issue alerts and progress.

This week on “Off the Cuff,” Justin is joined by Karen and NASFAA's Tim Maggio to discuss the biggest financial aid news so far in 2024 — the soft launch of the 2024-25 FAFSA. Justin and Karen discuss the current state of the launch, issues and outages that have impacted the form's availability, and what updates they are looking for from the Department of Education in the weeks ahead. Tim then highlights some chatter from the financial aid community, as well as some social media posts that have highlighted applicant experiences with the rollout and the form itself. The team then dives into some known issues that ED has flagged and the department's communications campaign.