I’m psyched about Education Secretary, Arne Duncan’s announcement that the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is being simplified. I cannot believe how excited I got listening to NPR and reading the New York Times(which is a tremendous resource – check out my links) article today, “The Obama administration is moving to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or Fafsa, a notoriously complicated form that asks students seeking financial aid for college as many as 153 questions.”
As a student myself, the FAFSA struck fear in my heart and I have always struggled not to intimidate families regarding the financial aid process when I explain. Money is one of the top reason couples get divorced and since you cannot divorce your children all you tend to get is tons of anxiety around the college financial aid process.
We are going to spend a lot of time with students and families with the financial aid process next year and I’m hopeful these changes will help the College Process team bring the information to families in a kinder and gentler fashion.
All families can start to become familiar with the FAFSA with the FAFSA4caster, a preliminary estimate program on the web. Also, MEFA (Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority) is a resource rich source of financial aid information for MA residents.
The College Road Trip Never Ends