Students and families will have to complete the already stressful process of choosing what college to attend under tighter deadlines and greater uncertainty than ever this year.

The source of this heightened anxiety is a change by the Education Department intended to speed up and simplify how families qualify for financial aid. Delays rolling out the revamped Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or Fafsa, meant the aid applications, which normally begin in October, couldn’t open until late December. Then technical glitches during the soft launch of the online form further exasperated families and schools.