Opinion: The college tuition system is broken. FAFSA headaches are the latest proof

Thanks to delays in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid process, millions of potential college students and their families will have to wait longer than usual to learn what their financial aid packages will look like. Filling out the FAFSA is how potential college students prove their financial eligibility for aid that will help them cover tuition — Pell Grants, federal work-study, state-based financial aid and federal loans. The bureaucratic, confusing and often frustrating process adds to the anxiety many students and families feel in figuring out how to pay for college. Given the enormity of the college affordability crisis, it seems worth seriously pursuing solutions that would also prioritize accessibility — for example, baby bonds, vouchers for higher education or, even better, free public college.