US Department of Education appoints Jeremy Singer as FAFSA Executive Advisor in Office of Federal Student Aid

The U.S. Department of Education (Department) made an announcement today appointing Jeremy Singer as the FAFSA Executive Advisor within the office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) tasked with spearheading the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) overall strategy and driving technology innovation to enhance FSA’s technical and operational capabilities.”

FAFSA Executive Advisor
The Department is dedicated to implementing transformative changes at FSA, including ongoing enhancements to the Better FAFSA, ensuring a seamless launch and successful 2025-26 FAFSA season. Jeremy Singer, a technology solutions expert, is being brought on board to assist FSA in delivering the Better FAFSA and enhancing the experience for students and families.

Singer, currently on temporary leave from his role as President of College Board, will lead FSA’s strategic efforts related to the 2025-26 FAFSA form. He will collaborate closely with the Department’s leadership and the FAFSA implementation team to reinforce internal systems and processes, bolster technical capabilities, and drive innovation towards optimal performance leading up to the launch of the 2025-26 FAFSA form.

“Jeremy brings a wealth of experience in leading successful technology innovations in education, which will play a crucial role in enhancing the FAFSA experience and ensuring that millions of students and families can readily access the federal financial aid they deserve,” stated U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.

The Department is unwavering in its commitment to ensuring that all students receive the necessary federal aid to pursue higher education and is focused on improving the application experience for the upcoming FAFSA cycle. Following feedback from various stakeholders, it is crucial that the 2025-26 FAFSA form be available on October 1st, which remains a key objective for the Department. To minimize disruptions and provide a smooth experience for students, families, and institutions, the 2025-26 FAFSA will maintain consistency with the 2024-25 form. Significant progress has already been made in addressing and resolving major issues with the 2024-25 form, with continuous improvements planned to enhance user experience.

For the 2024-25 award year commencing on July 1, 2024, the Department has processed over 11.1 million FAFSA forms. Moreover, new data reflects notable progress in narrowing the gap in FAFSA submissions to 8 percent compared to the previous year, a significant improvement from almost 40 percent in March. The most recent FAFSA cycle showcased remarkable changes:

• Revamping over 20 systems within FSA, some of which were over 50 years old, from scratch.
• Enhancements enabling students to complete the form more efficiently, with many finishing in under 15 minutes.
• An expected total of 7.1 million students eligible for Pell Grants, including 5.7 million qualifying for the maximum Pell Grant, resulting in 1.7 million more students receiving the maximum Pell Grant. Overall, 665,000 additional students will be granted Pell awards.

The extensive scale and timeline of changes for the 2024-25 FAFSA have posed challenges for students, families, institutions, states, and supporting organizations. The Department will continue to collaborate with partners, seeking specific feedback on enhancing help text on the form, student tip sheets, and other direct communications to facilitate successful completion of the 2025-26 FAFSA. A series of listening sessions will be conducted in the upcoming weeks to gather insights on better supporting students, families, colleges, states, and other partners for a successful 2025-26 FAFSA season.

Additionally, the Department plans to release a Request for Information (RFI) this summer to gather feedback from individuals unable to participate in the sessions. Both the listening sessions and RFI will contribute to the development of a new Better FAFSA Better Future Roadmap, scheduled for release in late summer, outlining new tools such as additional trainings, webinars, counselor guides, and student tip sheets.

FAFSA Student Support Strategy
In May, the Department introduced the FAFSA Student Support Strategy to boost FAFSA completion rates and college enrollment. This strategy has allocated over $30 million in funding to date, benefitting more than 180 organizations nationwide.

The funding is fueling a range of initiatives, including launching paid media campaigns to drive FAFSA completion, providing stipends to school counselors hosting FAFSA completion events, introducing mobile FAFSA clinics, offering one-on-one support during FAFSA office hours, translation services, and other efforts across organizations dedicated to ensuring students and families succeed in submitting the 2024-25 FAFSA. These efforts will continue throughout the summer months.

A comprehensive list of recipients can be accessed on the ECMC website.