FAFSA form gets revamped

Barack Obama wants to make it easier for students to get federal college aid from Uncle Sam.

The president’s administration is working on simplifying the sometimes onerous Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the form that qualifies students for grants, loans and other forms of college aid.

The form — filled out by 34,994 UNC students for the 2009-10 school year — has been cut in half for this year’s applicants, down to four pages from eight. It could be whittled down even further during the next two years.

“They’re talking about taking the FAFSA down to just a handful of questions, maybe only five questions, to determine eligibility,” said Phil Asbury, deputy director of the UNC Office of Scholarships and Student Aid.

Most financial aid offices require that students use the FAFSA to apply for aid, but the form’s complicated nature often discourages students from doing so.

“Tax return data and income information can be a problem for people,” Asbury said.

The form, designed to determine federal aid, is also used by states and colleges to determine their own funding programs, including the Carolina Covenant and other need-based aid programs.

The president’s administration has argued that cutting the length of the form could encourage more students to apply for aid in the face of rising tuition costs.

Asbury said that while most of the more dramatic proposals for altering the form are not finalized, they could have a significant impact on the nature of the application.

“Every year the FAFSA is tweaked and revised,” Asbury said. “But the FAFSA simplification push may have a more significant impact on application numbers if the length of the form has been a deterrent.”

The form, which can be printed and filled out or completed online, consists of four sections and a variety of questions that include income tax information.

“What’s great about the FAFSA now is that online it skips questions that students don’t need to answer, which helps save a lot of confusion and time,” said Tabatha Turner, senior associate director of the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid. “Anything that can be done to break down barriers to access to student aid is a good thing.”

But others say these changes are not enough. A study group convened by the College Board, a nonprofit group that provides testing and other admissions services, has argued for doing away with the FAFSA and restructuring the entire federal aid system.

Freshman Ellen McNeill, who filled out the FAFSA when she applied last year, said it could benefit from simplification.

“As for the process of filling out the form, it was tedious but straightforward,” she said.



Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.