Fewer low-income students applied for college financial aid after botched FAFSA rollout

(CNN) – WASHINGTON – Fewer low-income students applied for college financial aid for the current school year after the rollout of an updated version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA, was plagued with problems.Submitting the form is required in order to access federal Pell grants, student loans and other kinds of financial aid. Without the financial help, college could be out of reach for some students.Related Stories Total FAFSA submissions were down 3% – or by 432,000 – compared with the year before as of Aug. 25, according to a new analysis from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office.The drop in applications was largest for families whose incomes are between $30,001 to $48,000 and individuals with incomes of $30,000 or less, the GAO said.Preliminary findings from the new analysis were released Tuesday at a House Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing.Members of both sides of the aisle have been critical of the Department of Education’s rollout of the new version of the FAFSA.“The Biden-Harris administration has left millions of students and families scrambling in the dark,” Rep. Burgess Owens, a Utah Republican and chair of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development, said.Owens...