The Schooling Division has tapped School Board president Jeremy Singer to serve in a brand new function overseeing the rollout of subsequent yr’s Free Software for Federal Scholar Assist.
The information, offered first to Inside Larger Ed, comes as greater schooling 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 utility confronted numerous delays and technical glitches. Schooling Secretary Miguel Cardona has repeatedly assured Congress, faculties and households that the shape shall be prepared—and that the applying shall be higher.
Bringing on Singer, a know-how options skilled 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 vital to unlocking billions in federal, state and institutional support for tens of millions of scholars.
“I’m honored to affix a crew whose work is significant to households throughout the nation,” Singer mentioned in a press release Friday. “It’s unattainable to overstate the significance of FAFSA in making faculty potential for tens of millions of scholars. I’m desperate to hearken to college students, households and educators who depend on FAFSA. We are going to do every little thing we are able to to ship an improved expertise to higher serve college students.”
Singer, who has been president of the School Board since 2013, is a well-known face for faculties and universities, a few of whom have grown skeptical of the Schooling Division over its dealing with of the FAFSA. Singer shall be taking non permanent depart from the School Board to be the FAFSA government adviser. In that function, he’ll lead FSA’s technique on the 2025–26 FAFSA in addition to work with the division “to strengthen inner programs and processes, bolster technical capabilities, and drive innovation to assist guarantee optimum efficiency” of the applying’s launch.
“Jeremy brings deep expertise having efficiently led the event and introduction of main know-how improvements in schooling, which shall be integral to enhancing the FAFSA expertise and guaranteeing tens of millions of scholars and households can simply entry the federal monetary support 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 skill 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 convey candor and a solutions-oriented strategy to Federal Scholar Assist in addition to expertise with complicated technological programs and points.
“I feel it’s a sensible 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 individuals collectively and get them on the identical web page in direction of the mission.”
Gail Holt, dean of economic support at Amherst School and a School Board trustee, mentioned that Singer is well-versed in what households and establishments want and understands the monetary support timeline.
“So I’m enthusiastic about it,” she mentioned. “It provides me hope and promise at a interval that for a monetary support neighborhood has actually been dwindling these many months.”
Following the assorted 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 means of getting returning college students their support info.
Having Singer on the helm provides her extra belief within the course of for subsequent yr. “I can’t stress sufficient, if he’s bought the best individuals 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 could be very nicely aware of how instruments and sources can create a bridge for college students to get from secondary faculty to greater 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 are usually not repeated within the upcoming cycle.
“It’s encouraging to see the division is committing extra 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 your entire system, from utility submission to processing, is operative on October 1, and that the Division clearly articulates that performance to all stakeholders alongside the way in which.”
Along with hiring Singer, the division introduced a collection of listening classes over the approaching weeks to tell how the company can higher help college students, households, faculties, states and different companions throughout the 2025–26 FAFSA cycle. Moreover, the division mentioned Friday that the applying for 2025–26 will “stay constant” with this yr’s type with the intention to decrease disruptions.
On the path of Congress, the division overhauled the shape for the 2024–25 educational yr with the intention to make it easier to make use of. Congress additionally dictated numerous modifications to the underlying methodology that determines how a lot monetary support a scholar is eligible for, which opened up the Pell Grant to hundreds 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 utility.
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 students, households, establishments, states, and organizations that help them,” officers mentioned within the launch.
The division has obtained and processed greater than 11.1 million support functions. The tempo of functions has involved faculties who frightened that the FAFSA points would deter some college students from pursuing postsecondary schooling. In March, the division had obtained 40 p.c fewer functions than standard, although that hole has since closed to eight p.c, in response to Friday’s information launch.
To additional shut that hole, the division introduced a $50 million FAFSA Scholar Help Technique to fund efforts to spice up FAFSA completion charges. Thus far, greater than $30 million has been awarded to greater than 180 organizations.
This text has been up to date.
