College financial aid maze is so confusing nearly 4 in 10 students considered giving up

Personal Finance
20 Aug 2026 • 10:52 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

College financial aid maze is so confusing nearly 4 in 10 students considered giving up

  • A new survey by Sallie found that 38 percent of students have considered skipping college because of a complex, confusing financial aid application process.
  • Nearly one in four families paying for college later realized they qualified for aid they failed to apply for, with a third losing out on at least $10,000.
  • Despite recent legislative efforts to simplify the FAFSA, confusion remains widespread due to additional state, school, and national scholarship forms.
  • Over 42 million Americans currently hold $1.65 trillion in student loan debt, which many borrowers say prevents them from purchasing homes or starting businesses.
  • The Trump administration introduced loan caps under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, limiting graduate students pursuing professional degrees to $50,000 annually in federal loans.

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