EDITORIAL – Eligible students not filling out FAFSA

Half of the 8 million undergraduates enrolled during the 1999–2000 school year at… Half of the 8 million undergraduates enrolled during the 1999–2000 school year at institutions participating in federal student aid programs did not complete the main federal aid application form. According to an American Council on Education study released on Monday, 850,000 of those students would have been eligible for a Pell Grant, the principal federal grant for low-income students. Many students’ parents made enough money for them to have been ineligible, and other low-income students acquired adequate funding elsewhere.

The underlying point of the study is that even as college costs increase, students often miss out on financial aid opportunities because they aren’t aware of how the system works. In fact, the system itself is a deterrent, and the paperwork is exhaustingly unattractive to both students and parents.

The government has worked to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form, but it is still four pages long and has several worksheets. Institutions such as Pitt require supplemental forms in addition to the national application. The complexity can be an obstacle for students, and there should be a way to ensure that the FAFSA forms and all supplemental worksheets are user-friendly.

It doesn’t just start with the forms, though. It starts with awareness.

How many seniors were introduced to FAFSA forms in public high schools and received face-to-face, one-on-one help with filling it out? How many public high schools offered financial aid seminars for parents? This type of assistance should be readily available, easily accessible and consistent within public schools throughout the country.

Once we got to college, how many of us knew the deadlines for turning in financial aid forms? It takes a little more than a letter sent home and a reminder as to where the financial aid office is located. In the same fashion that volunteers registered college students to vote in person, there should be a genuine effort to hand out forms to students on campus and help them to fill them out.

It doesn’t end with the forms, though. The entire process is difficult.

Last year, the FAFSA Web site malfunctioned and those who took the time to complete the application could not click to submit the information. If the application is completed on the site, students must check back repeatedly to be sure that the information has been processed. If the information is submitted on time, with or without the use of the Internet, a mistake on the form delays the process. The Internal Revenue Service will place a call or send an e-mail when there is a discrepancy on a tax form, resolving the problem almost instantaneously. When it is more of a hassle to properly fill out financial aid applications than it is to file taxes, there is a problem.

Perhaps the problem is that there were cuts in federal funding to the grant program. Funding cuts not only leave less money available, but also cause cuts in staff. When a student calls with a question, who is there to answer the phone? Who is hired to maintain the Web site? If this country wants to make the dream of going to college a reality for its students, then it needs to take the necessary steps to ensure that dream is attainable.

A primary reason for low college retention rates is lack of financial aid. The federal government, in conjunction with colleges and universities, must do everything in its power to make certain that every student is FAFSA-form savvy. There should be outreach programs in place to ensure students know the deadlines, understand the process and get the forms accurately filled out and turned in on time.