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Thursday, June 25, 2009
Obama administration simplifies FAFSA
The White House on Wednesday, June 24, unveiled a plan to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the six-page form commonly known as FAFSA.
President Barack Obama had promised during his campaign last year to do away with the form, which critics say discourages some low-income students from applying to college.
The plan announced Wednesday doesn’t go that far, but it will greatly simplify the process of applying for student aid, while creating momentum for broader change going forward, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan presented the plan at his first White House press briefing, highlighting several changes that do not require Congressional approval.
This summer, the Education Department will take advantage of existing technology on the Web-based FAFSA to allow married or independent students to skip questions about their parents, among others, according to Inside Higher Ed.
In January, the department will stop requiring students with low incomes to answer questions about their financial assets.
The department also plans to ask Congress to strike from the form dozens of questions about family income and assets, and allow some applicants to retrieve tax data to answer many of the remaining questions, according to the Chronicle.
“With students and families more worried than ever about how to pay for college, the Obama administration’s actions to simplify the financial aid process couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Laura Asher, president of the Institute for College Access & Success.
“The important changes announced today will help make the federal student aid application a gateway rather than a barrier to college,” Asher said.
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FAFSA to be simplified
For years the federal form designed to help students receive financial aid for college was one of the biggest deterrents for applying for that aid - especially for low income students and their families.
The Obama administration, on Wednesday, announced a plan to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Assistance (FAFSA).
Education Secretary Arne Duncan unveiled the proposal that would, among other changes, allow students to use their own IRS data for the electronic application process and eliminate a number of questions - such as asking a married applicant information about his or her parents’ finances.
Some officials cautioned that too many changes to the form could cause it to lose credibility among state and local funding agencies who often rely on a student’s FAFSA results to distribute their own aid.
Some changes will be made in the next six months. Others will require congressional approval.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Paying for college
