A new Government Accountability Office report found the FAFSA Simplification Act met its intended goals, including a rise in Pell eligibility and a larger share of recipients receiving the maximum award. For the 2024–25 academic year, nearly 10 million students were eligible for Pell, 6% more than the prior year, with almost 8 million eligible for the maximum $7,395 award. The GAO also reported that the simplified FAFSA rollout ultimately stabilized after early 2024 technical problems, following two additional admissions cycles. Congressional backers framed the results as evidence that modernization can improve access for middle and upper-middle-income households as well as lower-income groups. Despite the gains, the report highlights a separate pressure point: the Pell program remains short billions of dollars, and Congress may need to find $17 billion to prevent cuts in eligibility—an immediate budget risk as institutions prepare for the next aid cycle.