Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., wants a simpler college aid form

Original article by Nancy Remsen for Burlington Free Press

Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., has introduced a proposal that on its face hardly seems controversial. The bill would make applying for federal student aid less onerous.

Who is going to quarrel with easing the burden of applying for federal financial aid by eliminating two-thirds of the questions on the current form? Maybe someone who worries about too much sharing of Internal Revenue Service information.

Welch’s proposal would affect the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is the form that determines current and potential college students’ eligibility for financial aid such as Pell Grants and Federal Student Loans. It asks applicants 48 income and asset questions. Welch says 31 of those questions require information already collected by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on various tax forms.

Welch’s bill, the Student Financial Aid Simplification Act, “would simply allow the Department of Education to collect that information from the IRS, reducing the number of questions of the FAFSA by 31 and greatly simplifying the process for students and families.”