I'm sure you are familiar with this program.
It determines your eligibility for financial aid, and it was created in 1965 as part of the 1965 Higher Education Act (HEA) signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson. It was a significant part of the Great Society which increased national involvement in various state affairs, in this case higher education.
- History
FAFSA originally came from the 1965 Higher Education Act (HEA) by President Lyndon Johnson, this established the United States Government as the primary provider of financial aid for students.[18] For years the application was called Financial Aid Form (FAF), which was an optional form used by some—but not all—colleges and universities. When Congress reauthorized the HEA in 1992 they created a standardized federal form for all prospective students seeking aid.[19] The stated goal of FAFSA and other government funded education programs was to create equal opportunities for students seeking higher education. When the HEA was reauthorized again in 2008 lawmakers added a clause that schools must report information about who is receiving financial aid.[18] Subsequent studies revealed continued inequality for students of color, who often had to take out more student loans than more privileged counterparts.[19]
Recent updates have been made to increase accessibility of financial aid.[20] The original FAFSA form had 108 questions, which was a significant barrier for many low-income families seeking financial aid.[19] The questions were broadly seen as excessively detailed and unnecessarily complicated, with students being required to dedicate several hours to completing their application. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 shortened the FAFSA from 108 questions to 36, to encourage more eligible students to fill out the form.[21] In addition, students now have the option to link their IRS account with their FAFSA account to make the application simpler to complete accurately. The Consolidated Appropriations Act also opened financial aid eligibility to students that had previously been excluded from the program.
For more:
- Higher Education Act of 1965.
- Great Society.
