This decline in freshmen is particularly notable at four-year schools — less so at community colleges — and there are a number of reasons for it.

The FAFSA does not ask about two key measures of wealth – the family home and retirement accounts.

Free tuition programs in two New England states have brought thousands of new students into community college classrooms. But they’re also straining some schools’ faculty and financial aid staff.

The new FAFSA form was supposed to simplify the application process, but the roll-out has hit some snags.

There’s a push to convince colleges and universities to extend their admission deadlines to give students — and schools — more time.

This year’s form will be shorter and easier to fill out. But it’ll also arrive more than two months late.

It’s intended to make the process of getting financial aid less painful.

You can’t get federal grants unless you fill out the FAFSA.

The office will have to manage student loan forgiveness — if that clears Supreme Court challenges — and the resumption of loan payments after a pandemic pause.

Applications for federal aid for college have decreased, so schools and states are looking at ways to get more grants into students’ hands.