Dive Brief:
- The Obama administration has responded to years of pressure from advocates urging them to give students the ability to start their federal aid application earlier in the college search process.
- The changes will first affect students applying for aid for the 2016-17 academic year and will let them fill out their FAFSA forms as early as October.
- While U.S. Department of Education officials have expressed concern that the change will cost the government more money, Inside Higher Ed reports that Sen. Lamar Alexander intends to include this change in the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, along with a way to pay for it.
Dive Insight:
By allowing students to apply for federal financial aid before the end of the calendar year, families will have to use two-year-old tax data. The National Association of Student Financial Aid administrators has been one of the many advocates of the change. They are more hesitant, however, when it comes to other proposed changes, including a dramatic reduction in the number of questions on the application. Sen. Alexander has suggested trimming down the form to just two substantive questions. The outcome of this debate in HEA reauthorization could have far-reaching consequences for schools.