The College Board released proposals for simplifying financial aid applications in a February paper.
The suggestions included requiring less data from applicants, using older tax filings to establish income and providing information about financial aid to families earlier. The proposals suggested that a student’s family should be receiving information about financial aid status as early as when the student is in elementary school.
The paper, “Back to the Basics: Simplifying the Financial Aid Process to Increase Access and Success,” was written as part of the Reimagining Aid Design and Delivery project, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.