Fafsa simplification

News

Dynarski’s research and advocacy for a simplified FAFSA becomes reality

Apr 23, 2021

Professor Sue Dynarski laid out the reality of pursuing higher education for many students in a 2015 NYT op-ed. “Many smart students forgo college in the mistaken belief that they cannot afford it,” she wrote. “The financial aid system, which is...

Susan Dynarski: University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor Lecture

News

New York Times editorial board says it’s “Time to fix the Fafsa,” citing Susan Dynarski's work

Aug 27, 2015

“Legislators and the Department of Education have been trying for years to radically simplify [the Fafsa],” writes The New York Times editorial board in "Time to fix the Fafsa." They’re referring to the 100-plus-question form students and families...

EPI Policy briefs

Revisiting FAFSA Simplification: Expanding Access to the IRS Data Retrieval Tool

May 15, 2015

Susan Dynarski, Mark Wiederspan

We describe how the complexity in the FAFSA hinders students’ ability to meet financial aid deadlines and examine the feasibility of using a simplified formula to determine aid...

EPI Working papers

Student Aid Simplification: Looking Back and Looking Ahead

February 1, 2012

Susan Dynarski, Mark Wiederspan

Each year, fourteen million households seeking federal aid for college complete a detailed questionnaire about their finances, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). At 116 questions, the FAFSA is almost as long as IRS Form 1040 and...