Federal aid application simpler, shorter for 2010

The 2010 Free Application for Federal Student Aid has undergone a face-lift, designed to include fewer questions, friendlier navigation, more information and less duplication in hopes of encouraging more students to apply for financial aid.

This year’s FAFSA will allow students to skip questions that don’t apply to them, cutting down the time the application takes. It will also feature color-coded sections and a help section.

In addition, once the application is submitted, students will get an immediate estimate of their eligibility for Pell Grants and loans.

“The new FAFSA is easier to fill out by students and easier to process by schools,” Assistant Dean of Financial Aid Guy Hunter said. “But the actual calculations are not going to change.”

Parker Jung, a freshman majoring in electrical engineering, filled out the FAFSA both this year and in 2009, and said he thinks this form is a lot easier for students to do.

“Some of my friends last year had their parents do the whole thing because they couldn’t figure out how to do it,” Jung said. “For people who thought it was scary, it’ll be scary until they do it. Then they’ll realize that it’s not that bad, and it’s pretty straightforward.”

Hunter also agreed that a simpler form is beneficial to those that have trouble filling it out.

“Anytime you simplify a form, it’s going to help us,” Hunter said. “We don’t reach the majority of people who need help with it.”

But Michelle Sung, a freshman majoring in international relations and global business, said she does not think the problem with the FAFSA is its length.

“A lot of my friends don’t fill it out because they have a preset idea of whether or not they’ll receive [financial aid],” she said. “It would be a waste of time to do it if you already know that you’re not going to get any aid.”