Billions lost, failed IT projects, and why it doesn’t have to be this way.

For US high school seniors, early spring is usually the time for obsessively checking mailboxes for emails or “large envelopes” congratulating them on their acceptance to university. However, this spring the only thing worse than reading “we thank you for your interest in our university” is:

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) how US students and families determine their financial aid eligibility for university education. Individualized financial aid packages are created through loans, grants and work study opportunities based on a student/family’s economic standing, cost of attendance, scholarship opportunities, and eligibility criteria. With increasing education costs, getting the FAFSA right saves thousands and reduces the time spent paying back debt.

Every $1000 of additional financial aid increases university enrollment by 4% (Northwest, n.d.). Many miss potential aid because of misinformation, mistrust or beliefs they are ineligible. Nearly 30% of people who did not fill out the 2011/12 FAFSA would have been eligible for a Pell Grant, which reduces costs for low-income students (Northwest, n.d.). Because most students rely on their parents for help with the FAFSA, lack of information or financial literacy has a real cost.

The 2024/5 FAFSA application has undergone significant changes in line with the 2020 FAFSA Simplification Act. These changes should expand financial aid while reducing errors and fraud by integrating directly to IRS (US Internal Revenue Service) tax history.

The rollout of the 2024/5 FAFSA form has been a user experience disaster — launched months late, missing key features, inaccurate/exclusive design, eroded user trust… Even worse, many of the specific communities who should have benefited from expanded access to financial aid have quite literally excluded from the application. Desperate families are looking to potentially illegal workarounds. It’s leaving many feeling as though there are no solutions for them.

The FAFSA rollout is not unique.

The failed launch of Healthcare.gov, i.e. the Obamacare healthcare marketplace…