Students help test the FAFSA and resolve issues before it is issued

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Thousands of students, including in the Newark, Chicago and Denver area, are helping test their federal financial aid forms before they are made public on or before Dec. 1.

The second of four rounds of testing aims to identify glitches that made it difficult for many students to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid last school year. Our hope is that by testing the form this time, the U.S. Department of Education will be able to: Deliver on the promise of a Better FAFSA — a simpler form that offers a faster overall experience than the previous version.

Advocates say the testing is a welcome change from last school year, when there were problems at the school. unsuccessful revision of the form finished 200,000 fewer students filling out the form. Nationally, Freshman enrollment also dropped by about 5% this fall, according to figures from the National Student Clearinghouse.

The diverse populations selected for testing include many of the groups of students who had the most difficulty completing the form last year; those with immigrant parents who do not have a Social Security number and those who are the first in their family to take the survey. to university.

So far, advocates and officials helping with testing have reported fewer problems overall and also said there is “cautious optimism” that the FAFSA should work as it should to help students qualify for financial aid, grants and scholarships. Help them pay for college.

By taking the test, students have early access to filling out the form, extra technical support, and having their information sent to the colleges of their choice sooner.

Kim Cook, CEO of the National College Attainment Network, said students who have difficulty verifying their identity on the 2025-26 form and mixed status immigrant students. NCAN supports its members to help students attend and graduate from college.

“Basically, it’s a best practice to test a system before launch,” Cook said. “I think this year is especially important because of what we learned in last year’s 2024-25 FAFSA submission.”

The federal government revamped the FAFSA form last year and released it on December 31, three months later than usual. While the Better FAFSA, as it is now known, has proven to be shorter and easier when operational, technical issues plague the process.

The U.S. Department of Education selects beta test sites and recruits volunteers from community organizations, state agencies, districts and high schools to help troubleshoot problems.

The plan is to increase the number of students participating in each round.

In the first round of testing, approximately 650 high school students helped test the FAFSA through the first half of October. Another 3,500 students, including students currently enrolled in college, are testing the FAFSA in the second round, according to the department.

Participants were selected based on criteria that included student population, geographic location and school type, a department spokesperson said.

The testing covered colleges and high schools in rural, urban and suburban areas, and the department looked for students who were the first in their families to attend college, were from immigrant backgrounds and had never filled out the form.

Schools report positive testing experiences

Adams City High School in Colorado, which educates predominantly Hispanic students from low-income backgrounds, was selected to participate in the second round of beta testing.

Jesse Ramirez, founder of INSPiRE, whose nonprofit organization helps mentor students as they attend college. sent the application for Commerce City high school officials. Ramirez’s nonprofit has been working with the district for years; participate in government grant It helps increase FAFSA completion rates. Last year, he said, far fewer students completed the form despite the gains made the previous year; about 20% less.

The school held its FAFSA event on October 16 during fall break. Still, many students volunteer, he said. Ramirez said about 75 students showed up on test day.

During testing, Ramirez recruited more than 50 financial aid professionals, most of whom were bilingual. Families and volunteers were able to call Ministry of Education officials, staff who would support testing.

While some students filled out the form in 15 minutes, others needed more support.

Ramirez said many students encounter problems entering information that doesn’t exactly match their tax records. This meant that they were not found in the system afterwards. For example, if a parent with a hyphenated last name used a hyphen when filing taxes but the student did not use a hyphen when filling out the FAFSA, their application will be rejected.

This error then had to be resolved with a phone call to the Ministry of Education.

Ramirez said he was pleased with how the tests were going. He said every day counts because the FAFSA is being delayed two months later than usual. Historically, about half of all students who complete the FAFSA do so between October and the end of the year.

“Why wouldn’t we do this?” said Ramirez. “Why wouldn’t we want to create these opportunities? “As long as it’s about empowering our children and helping our families, it’s not such a crazy idea.”

Other districts, such as Chicago Public Schools, tested 150 of the 500 students they were allowed to test in the second round. In the third testing window, the region will be allowed to test up to 2,000 more people. The district expects more than 50 high schools to participate in the third round.

District leaders also want students to get ahead on the FAFSA, with a goal of 10% of Chicago Public Schools students filling out the form early so they can advance and eliminate barriers to attending college, a spokesman said.

National advocacy groups report increased confidence in the Better FAFSA

Leaders of the national advocacy group said they want the FAFSA to be ready by October, but testing is important.

Jill Desjean, senior policy analyst for the National Student Financial Aid Association Executive, said the organization is 100% behind testing. He is particularly happy that the Education Department is trying to test students from a variety of socioeconomic, geographic and family backgrounds.

“It’s really important to look at all kinds of students who may be filling out the FAFSA and all kinds of family scenarios they might encounter,” he said.

Ministry of National Education published updates regarding examsand an update on October 21 showed that 2,830 students had been able to fill out the form so far during two rounds of beta testing. These students reported 93% satisfaction with the form. Almost 90% of students say they were able to complete it in a reasonable amount of time.

According to the department, the top reason for a student’s FAFSA to be rejected was a missing student or parent signature. According to a Government Accountability Office investigationLast year, many students found that signatures had disappeared after saving and reopening the form. Officials say they are working on these issues.

NCAN’s Cook said the tests helped instill some confidence after last school year.

Ministry of Education also transparent in documenting problems He said students encountered Some of the issues the department detailed include usability issues and ongoing signature issues.

“We’re finding that it largely works,” Cook said. “That doesn’t mean we don’t still have issues to address, but we’re clear about what the issues are and I think they’re being heard and being worked on.”

Jason Gonzales is a reporter covering higher education and the Colorado legislature. Chalkbeat partners with Colorado Open Campus about the scope of higher education. Contact Jason at: [email protected].