College Financial Aid Form Snags a Makeover

Instead of answering as many as 153 questions on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), students will fill out a shorter online request that is easier to navigate, Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced today.

"Simplifying the FAFSA is another significant action in our quest to keep a college degree within the reach of every person who aspires to higher education," Duncan said.

The Obama administration already made some changes to the form in May, including giving students instant estimates on how much they could receive from Pell grants and whether they are eligible for loans.

This summer, the form will become more interactive, allowing students who are at least 24 years old or married to skip 11 questions that determine whether they need to fill out their parents' financial information. Men who are older than 26 can skip the question asking about their Selective Service registration and answer fewer questions on homelessness.

Duncan asked Congress to pass a law that would allow students to apply for financial aid using information from their Internal Revenue Service tax returns instead of searching for bank statements, investment information and untaxed income documentation. Currently, they have to answer up to a dozen questions about their finances that they don't have to respond to on the federal tax form.

In January, students who request financial aid for the spring semester can pull tax information from the IRS to answer up to 20 financial questions on the FAFSA, which would streamline the application process. Every student may be able to sync their form with their IRS tax form in the future.

The administration made these changes to the FAFSA so that more students will actively pursue financial aid, and consequently, be able to go to college.

Photo: Education Secretary Arne Duncan. Photo courtesy of ed.gov.