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.

OTC Inside the Beltway: Tackling the 2024-25 FAFSA Soft Launch

Hosted by NASFAA staff, this weekly podcast offers an unscripted view of hot financial aid and higher education-related topics. Justin Draeger and co-hosts will discuss what's happening inside the beltway to give you an insider's perspective.

Education

Training

Language Courses

Higher Education

K-12

Educational Technology

News

Politics

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.   

OTC Inside the Beltway: Debriefing the Temporary FAFSA Filing Fix for Mixed-Status Families and Cardona's Senate Hearing

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. 

OTC Inside The Beltway: New Changes at NASFAA

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.

OTC Inside The Beltway: More FAFSA Updates and Biden's Proposed Student Debt Relief Plan

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. 

OTC Inside The Beltway: NASFAA Testifies on 2024-25 FAFSA Rollout

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. 

OTC Inside the Beltway: Tackling the 2024-25 FAFSA Soft Launch

Download our free app to listen on your phone