Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee) introduced legislation Tuesday that would simplify the process for filing federal student aid applications.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is filled out by millions of students and families each year to apply for federal grants and scholarships to pay for college.
Alexander called the process 'too long and too complicated,' saying the FAFSA Simplification Act he introduced would simplify that process and remove barriers for low-income students.
“The 108-question FAFSA is one of the biggest challenges low-income students who want to go to college face,” he said. “Former Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam told me that Tennessee has the highest rate of filling out the FAFSA, but it is still the single biggest impediment to more students enrolling in Tennessee Promise, our state’s free, two-year community college program."
The bill would reduce the number of questions to 18-30 basic questions about a student, their family, and their plans for college. It would also reduce the need for the verification process that stops students' Pell grant payments and allow younger students to easily learn about their likely Pell grant awards to plan for college.