The Free Application for Federal Student Aid for the 2023-2024 academic year will be updated to improve future college students’ application process and reduce frustration, according to United States Department of Education.
The updated application will be released to students on Oct. 1.
Last December, U.S. Congress passed an extensive legislative package that included emergency relief measures and funding for the federal government. The bill included changes to simplify the financial aid application process and expand Pell Grant eligibility.
Some major provisions include tailoring the application process to more people from diverse backgrounds and extending eligibility for working students, formerly incarcerated students and students with drug-related convictions. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the bill also eases the financial aid application process for students formerly in foster care and those experiencing homelessness.
The most notable change to the FAFSA comes in the question count, which cuts the number of questions in the application from 108 to only 36. This change simplifies the application now and for years to come, which some higher education experts argue was long overdue.
One of the largest changes that stemmed from this bill was the increased access to Pell Grants for students. With this increase in government funding, Pell Grants have expanded eligibility to more students based on their income and family size. Students who are incarcerated or have drug convictions are now eligible for Pell Grants and other aid for the first time since the Crime Bill was passed in 1994, removing the barrier to higher education for many students, according to The Institute for College Access and Success.
“I think it’s great. Nobody should be judged for the rest of their life on the content of one of their actions,” said Brandon Cho, a freshman majoring in English and philosophy, politics and law.
“It helps people who face certain circumstances get a better shot at education and a nicer future,” he said.
Raymiro Gomez-Galiano Jr., a sophomore majoring in social entrepreneurship and non-governmental organizations and social change, said that the change makes him hopeful that more people will be able to qualify for grants and have the opportunity to attend college.
“It feels kind of nice to know that the questions will be going from, like, 100 to 30, and that the process could be easier, and that more people may qualify for Pell Grants,” Gomez-Galiano Jr. said.
Other changes in the FAFSA include renaming the Expected Family Contribution, which takes into consideration a student’s family’s income to calculate how much aid they qualify for to the Student Aid Index, according to the Department of Education. They argue that this change allows for a much better jurisdiction of financial aid for families, as it provides a better determination of aid rather than as an expectation for what a family can afford to pay for college. This will eliminate EFC for the first time since it was established in 1992 during the Higher Education Act.
However, some individuals are skeptical, claiming that 36 questions aren’t enough data to determine one’s financial aid. Jordan Williams, a junior majoring in human biology, expressed concern for the lack of questions on the FAFSA.
“It’s not going to be an accurate representation of what a family needs in terms of tuition, health and financial aid,” Williams said.
Additionally, the FAFSA change comes just a few months after USC declared a raise in undergraduate tuition by 5%, Annenberg Media previously reported.
Universities such as USC are now required to disclose all cost of attendance elements on the institution’s website under “Tuition and Fees.”