Significant changes to federal student aid policy, including simplifying the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), expanding Pell Grant eligibility to incarcerated students, and the repeal of limitations on subsidized loan eligibility for undergraduate Direct Loans were attached to the FAFSA Simplification Act which was part of a larger bill called the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.
A subsequent appropriations act (Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022) authorized funding for FY22 Pell grants and made technical changes to the FAFSA Simplification Act.
Analysis of 2021 FAFSA Simplification Provisions
Analysis of 2022 FAFSA Simplification Technical Amendments