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HEA 101: FAFSA Changes

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UPDATE:
2009-2010 FAFSA  
This provides a printable copy of the FAFSA for the upcoming 2009-2010 academic year. It contains changes made by the "Higher Education Opportunity Act" that that are applicable for that year.  

Overview 
The Free Federal Form for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the only form students may use to file for federal student aid. Since its inception in 1992, it has also grown in use as the principal form used by states and colleges to award their own aid, a move encouraged by the federal government.

But despite continued efforts to keep the FAFSA as short as possible to ensure its length does not discourage applicants and become a barrier to access, the FAFSA continues to be complex. Recently several parties have again undertaken efforts to make the form shorter, while keeping the form comprehensive enough to satisfy the needs of various states and colleges.

The HEOA takes a number of steps toward simplifying the FAFSA by reducing the number of need analysis questions students must answer and exploring how technology might assist in this effort. Among these is permission for the Secretary to test options for linking the FAFSA with tax return information, and new ways to to encourage states to accept federal elements as the sole basis for awarding their own aid. The Department of Education is also supposed to test the idea of using two-year old family income data (called prior-prior year).

Simplification interest has also spread to other areas of financial aid, including calling for the elimination of many long standing student aid programs by some groups and by the Spellings Commission. NAICU opposes such efforts that would reduce overall aid to needy students.

Statutory Language (Sec. 483. Improvements to Paper and Electronic Forms and Processes)

Statutory Language (Sec. 473. Definitions)

Studies



Related Articles
The Spellings Plan for Simplification (Inside Higher Ed, 10/1/2008)