Official announcement from the Department of Education or major news outlets reporting on the FAFSA release

House Passes Houchin's FAFSA Deadline Act 381-1 to Mandate October 1 Release

Nov 15, 2024, 03:45 PM

The U.S. House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed the FAFSA Deadline Act (H.R. 8932), introduced by Representative Erin Houchin, with a bipartisan vote of 381 to 1. The legislation requires the Department of Education to release the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by October 1 each year, ensuring students and families have earlier access to federal student aid information. This change addresses previous delays in the FAFSA rollout, which lawmakers say resulted in 430,000 fewer students completing the application. Critics argue that the Department prioritized other initiatives over delivering a timely FAFSA process, leaving students and families 'in the dark' and causing 'chaos.' The act aims to improve transparency and accountability, holding the Department of Education to a hard deadline and providing certainty for students planning for higher education.