Democrats on the Committee on Education and the Workforce recently introduced new legislation that would simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form.
On Thursday, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester D-Del., introduced the Simple FAFSA Act of 2017 that will amend the Higher Education Act, removing barriers for students seeking financial aid by simplifying the FAFSA application process. Legislative changes include requiring the FAFSA to be filed only one time, providing the FAFSA in multiple languages and creating a standardized financial aid award letter.
The bill is co-led by Ranking Member Robert “Bobby” Scott, D-Va., Rep. Susan Davis, D-Calif., Rep. Ami Bera, D-Calif., and Delegate Gregorio Sablan, I-Northern Mariana Islands.
“For many students, obtaining a college education or post-graduate certification is their ticket to a fulfilling career and a good paying job, but for students seeking federal financial aid, Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) imposes burdensome requirements that too often create a barrier to entry for federal grants and loans, not a window of opportunity,” said Rochester, adding that it “takes a good government approach in bringing students closer to the financial aid programs available to them. . .”
While the FAFSA is universally accessible and free, only 61 percent of high school graduates in the class of 2017 completed the FAFSA. This left billions of dollars – including approximately $2.3 billion in Federal Pell Grants – unused during the 2017-2018 academic year.
“Whether you are a first-generation college student or come from a family that’s fallen on hard financial times, it is our duty as lawmakers to ensure that it is easier for you to access the programs that are available to you, and that’s exactly what this bill does,” the Congresswoman added.
For students who did complete the FAFSA and received a Pell Grant for their first year of college, roughly 10 percent did not re-file the next year although there is a likelihood that they remained eligible, the lawmakers say.
