It’s been compared to a nightmare, a torture session and a root canal.
Around this time of year, families around the country face the daunting task of filling out the dreaded FAFSA form.
The FAFSA— or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid— is the document all college students and their parents must fill out annually to be eligible for student loans and grants.
But the application, with its complex questions about family finances and assets, has a reputation for being so wickedly confusing that many students and their parents bail on it long before it’s done. An estimated 1.5 million low-income students don’t receive financial aid because they fail to file.
At President Obama’s request, the U.S. Department of Education is trying to overhaul the FAFSA. This month, federal officials debuted a shorter form and simplified website that eliminates dozens of questions for the average applicant.
Reporter Kelly Heyboer spoke to Robert Shireman, the deputy under secretary at the U.S. Department of Education, about the changes. Before joining the Obama Administration, Shireman was founder and president of the Institute for College Access and Success, a California-based advocacy group that pushed for FAFSA reform.
Q: Why has the FAFSA been so complicated in the past?
There are a lot of rules around who can and can not get which types of