What Happens to the FAFSA if the Department of Education Shuts Down? Experts Weigh In

On Thursday, March 20, President Donald Trump followed through on his threat to "begin eliminating" the Department of Education via executive order, although most legal experts agree congressional approval will be required to actually end the agency. One critical function of the department is the administration of federal student financial aid like grants and student loans. If the Department of Education is closed, what does that mean for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA? In earlier comments to reporters Thursday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that, "when it comes to student loans and Pell Grants, those will still be run out of the Department of Education." However, on March 11, the department staff was slashed by nearly half and the studentaid.gov website went down for hours. "These workforce reductions raise serious questions about the future functionality of federal aid programs," student loan expert Elaine Rubin said in an email. "There has been lit ... Read full article.