WASHINGTON, Oct. 22, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Sens.
Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and
Doug Jones (D-Ala.) today introduced
the FAFSA Simplification Act of 2019, a bill that would create a
streamlined financial aid application process, while still giving
schools, states, and scholarship providers enough information to
offer financial aid to today's diverse college-going population.
Under this proposal, all students would be able to determine their
Pell Grant eligibility through Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) and
household size.
For far too long, thousands of students who have every intention
of attending college never enroll, or end up leaving millions of
financial aid dollars on the table — including $2.3 billion in Pell Grant dollars annually— in
large part due to the overly complex nature of applying for and
receiving federal financial aid. While we have made significant
progress toward simplifying the process in recent years — through
the addition of skip logic to the Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA) and allowing some income data to be imported
via the Internal Revenue Service's Data Retrieval Tool, for example
— we can do better.
The FAFSA Simplification Act would significantly reduce the
number of questions on the FAFSA — including irrelevant and
unnecessary questions, such as the Selective Service and drug
offense-related questions — and require students to only answer
questions based on their family income.
"Taking into account feedback from financial aid professionals
nationwide, this bill takes a commonsense approach to shorten the
FAFSA application to an extent that would not deprive institutions
of crucial information needed to appropriately disburse billions of
dollars of financial aid to eligible students," said NASFAA
President Justin Draeger. "In short,
this bill makes the process of applying for student aid much easier
for all students, but the biggest positive impact will be for our
nation's neediest students."
"NCAN has long advocated for a streamlined FAFSA to lessen one
of the barriers faced by many first-generation students going to
college. By combining this simpler FAFSA with a Pell Grant look-up
table, we can show students, early in their decision-making
process, that there is money to help them complete college," said
NCAN Executive Director Kim Cook.
"We thank Senators Alexander and Jones for championing this issue
and the students we serve."
A few NASFAA and NCAN members also weighed in on the bill and
what it would mean for students:
"Legislation that makes the process for accessing financial aid
simpler for our students and families is a win," said Brenda Hicks, director of financial aid at
Southwestern College in Winfield,
Kansas. "Condensing eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant
to a look-up table places pivotal information directly in students'
hands in a concise and accessible way. This kind of knowledge could
make the difference between a student who feels a college education
is out of reach financially and a student who suddenly has hope for
their future."
"One of the biggest reasons students and families don't complete
the FAFSA is that they don't think they will be eligible for any
financial aid. This is true even for Pell-eligible families," said
Kristina Scott, executive director
of Alabama Possible. "With the FAFSA Simplification Act
implementation of simple, clear Pell Grant look up tables, we will
be able to talk with students beginning in middle school about what
aid for which they should be eligible and how to access it by
completing a shorter, simplified FAFSA. These two changes can shift
the conversation about postsecondary education from 'if' to 'when'
for low-income and first-generation college-going students and
their families."
"FAFSA simplification is an important step in the right
direction to make the financial aid process more transparent for
students and their families," said Lori
Vedder, director of the office of financial aid at the
University of Michigan–Flint. "Allowing our neediest students to
avoid answering unnecessary questions when applying for financial
aid would remove barriers that often keep many students from
matriculating. Having an earlier and upfront indication of their
eligibility to receive crucial need-based aid, such as the federal
Pell Grant, will help these students realize they have the ability
to attend and afford college."
"Completing the FAFSA, for as long as I can remember, is a
daunting process — one that my mother needed help with over 20
years ago for my sister and me," shared Stacy Lightfoot, vice president of college and
career success at the Public Education Foundation of Chattanooga-Hamilton
County. "Now, the FAFSA is even more complex for families,
especially those from underserved backgrounds, who get lost
answering over 100 questions on the form. Senator Alexander's
proposal to simplify the FAFSA is long overdue and has been
thoughtfully created to ensure better access to college by
eliminating unnecessary and irrelevant questions. The new bill
takes the most intimidating aspect of the college process away for
students."
NASFAA and NCAN look forward to working with lawmakers as this
bill moves through the legislative process. To request an interview
with a NASFAA spokesperson, please contact Director of
Communications Erin Powers. To
request an interview with an NCAN spokesperson, please contact
Communications Manager Kelly Mae
Ross.
About NCAN
The mission of the National College Access Network is to build,
strengthen, and empower communities and stakeholders to close
equity gaps in postsecondary attainment for all students. Based in
Washington, D.C., NCAN is a
nonprofit membership organization serving over 500 members that
touch the lives of more than 2 million students each year. Our
members include college access programs, school districts,
institutions of higher education, and other nonprofits that are
committed to the vision that all students have an equitable
opportunity to achieve social and economic mobility through higher
education. For more information, please visit
http://www.collegeaccess.org.
About NASFAA
The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
(NASFAA) is a nonprofit membership organization that represents
more than 28,000 financial aid professionals at nearly 3,000
colleges, universities, and career schools across the country.
NASFAA member institutions serve nine out of every 10
undergraduates in the United
States. Based in Washington,
D.C., NASFAA is the only national association with a primary
focus on student aid legislation, regulatory analysis, and training
for financial aid administrators. For more information, visit
http://www.nasfaa.org.
SOURCE National Association of Student Financial Aid
Administrators