Tag: Version

  • FSA Launches Beta Version of FAFSA

    FSA Launches Beta Version of FAFSA

    The beta version of the financial aid application portal was released Monday, Aug. 4.

    Photo illustration by Justin Morrison/Inside Higher Ed | SimoneN/iStock/Getty Images

    The Office for Federal Student Aid made history this week, launching the test version of this year’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid earlier than ever before, Aaron Lemon-Strauss, executive director of the FAFSA program, announced in a LinkedIn post Monday. 

    It marks the beginning of “the next chapter in making higher ed more accessible,” he wrote.

    This comes less than two years after the botched rollout of what was supposed to be a simpler FAFSA form for the 2024–25 academic year. The opening of that year’s application platform, which typically occurs in October, was delayed until the very end of the year. And even when it launched in late December 2023, it had a myriad of glitches, significantly delaying financial aid award processing for colleges and students.

    For the next FAFSA cycle, the Education Department revamped its planning processing, bringing in an outsider to lead the effort. The launch of the 2025–26 FAFSA was slightly delayed, but the agency spent months testing the form before opening it up to all students. Now, for the 2026–27 FAFSA, the application is set to open on time on Oct. 1.

    To meet that deadline, the department kicked off several weeks of selective beta testing this week, starting with a small number of students and families. The plan is for the beta version to become public in early September. By launching ahead of schedule, the department hopes to boost application completion rates, improve troubleshooting tools for financial aid advisers and increase overall speed of the process, Lemon-Strauss explained.

    “As we celebrate this milestone, we also push forward,” he said, “building a FAFSA that truly meets the evolving needs of students, families, and schools.”

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  • How many colleges are there anyway? Version 2022

    How many colleges are there anyway? Version 2022

    I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of “colleges.”  We think we know what we mean when we say it, but do we really?

    When some people say “college” they might mean any four-year college that enrolls undergraduates.  Others might mean everything except for-profit colleges.  Do you include community colleges in your group?  Some people do, and others don’t.

    And of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that when some major news outlets talk about “college” they are really talking about the 15 or  50 institutions their readers or listeners fascinate over.

    Well, now you can see the answer.  Sort of.  I started with IPEDS data, which includes all post-secondary institutions that receive Title IV aid.  There are many institutions in the US that don’t and although they can report to IPEDS, they are not required to, and many don’t.

    But if we start with all the IPEDS institutions that enrolled at least one student in 2022, you get 5,978.  And that’s where the fun begins.  

    There are two quick views here.

    The first view (using the tabs across the top) shows several common ways of breaking colleges into groups: By region, Carnegie type, and control, for instance.  It’s not interactive, but you can see how your concept of colleges might be too small.

    The second tab makes up in interactivity what the first tab missed.  Use any of the filters to filter to the number based on your definition: Some of the filters are discrete, some are numeric ranges.  Any combination is fine, and the pink bar will update automatically with the new count.  Be sure to read the instructions at the bottom about how to use the discrete filters.

    Anything jump out at you here? Leave a comment below.

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