FAFSA Archives - Higher Education Today

New Might Not Always Mean Improved: The Benefits and Drawbacks of the New FAFSA

Laurie Arnston — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 13:51:48 +0000

Title: Chutes and Ladders: Falling Behind and Getting Ahead with the Simplified FAFSA Authors: Jonathan S. Lewis and Alyssa Stefanese Yates Source: uAspire Prior to the 2024-25 academic year, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) underwent significant changes, mandated by Congress through the FAFSA Simplification Act. A recent uAspire survey of 274 students, parents, counselors, and financial aid administrators ...

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Good News About the FAFSA

Laurie Arnston — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 14:26:26 +0000

Millions of current and prospective college students were let down last year when the federal rollout of the new FAFSA form was badly bungled and delayed for months. The fallout from the resulting chaos and uncertainty was well-documented and widespread, including a drop in over 5 percent in first-year enrollment for fall 2024 linked at least in part to the FAFSA ...

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Troubled FAFSA Rollout Linked to Sharp Decline in First-Year College Enrollment

Laurie Arnston — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 17:12:27 +0000

Title: Fewer Freshmen Enrolled in College This Year Following Troubling FAFSA Cycle Author: Katharine Meyer Source: Brookings Institution, National Student Clearinghouse Research Center The rollout of the new FAFSA form last year triggered cascading consequences across the higher education community. The launch was delayed, customer calls remained unanswered, and the number of filings decreased by about three percent. As the form’s ...

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FAFSA for All: A Game-Changer for College Access in Alabama

Laurie Arnston — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 15:00:59 +0000

Early in my career as an education data analyst, I was chatting with the new counselor at a rural Georgia high school. She described a particularly challenging student named “Joey,” a troubled but bright young sophomore. When she sought advice from a veteran teacher, the response was disheartening: “Honey, don’t you worry about that child. We’ve had problems with that family ...

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Unpacking the FAFSA Simplification Act’s Impact on Federal and State Aid Eligibility

Laurie Arnston — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 17:08:55 +0000

Title: FAFSA Simplification Guidebook Authors: Mark Wiederspan and Rachel Burns Source: State Higher Education Executive Officers Association The last two decades in higher education policy have seen a push for a more streamlined and less time-consuming version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which culminated in the FAFSA Simplification Act of 2020. The State Higher Education Executive Officers ...

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FAFSA Simplification: Harder Than It Seems

Laurie Arnston — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 15:19:14 +0000

Making it easy for students and families to apply for federal student aid is a little like the Holy Grail—universally sought for its extraordinary value, but never found. And if recent discussions in Washington are any indication, the search likely will intensify as Congress works to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. At issue is the FAFSA, the form that students and ...

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