NASFAA Mention: The 6 Types of Students Most Confounded by the FAFSA

"Everyone loves to hate the Free Application for Federal Student Aid process that opens the doors to student loans and grants, with its multiple questions about family finances," according to POLITICO. 

"But among the 20 million annual FAFSA applicants, the process is particularly problematic for six types of aspiring college students and those who need to reapply.

Students whose parents refuse to participate in the process altogether, homeless youth, prisoners, military survivors, undocumented immigrants and children of divorced parents are among them. As Congress weighs its first update to the Higher Education Act in more than a decade, advocates are hopeful that any deal will include a FAFSA streamlining, though whether these students get any relief remains unclear.

The challenges arise not just on the initial application, but later, during the income verification process. About 30 percent of all applicants are flagged to submit additional paperwork because the federal government seeks to avoid improper payments.

HELP Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) has made FAFSA simplification a priority as he works to complete an HEA update yet this year. He’s pushed for shrinking the number of questions from 108 to about two dozen. Alexander also wants to reduce the need for verification by having students’ tax data automatically transfer from the IRS to the Education Department.

'There are not many things U.S. senators can do to cause 20 million American families to say 'thank you,'' Alexander said in March. 'We are on the verge of doing one of those things.'

Karen McCarthy, director of policy analysis at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, said generally the proposals under discussion on Capitol Hill are aimed more broadly at improving the process — not changing eligibility requirements.

'It’s at a much more operational level,' McCarthy said."

NASFAA's "Notable Headlines" section highlights media coverage of financial aid to help members stay up to date with the latest news. Inclusion in Today's News does not imply endorsement of the material or guarantee the accuracy of information presented.

 

Publication Date: 7/22/2019

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