A recent joint-study released by the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Stanford University School of Education, The University of Toronto, and the National Bureau of Economic Research finds that more low-income students would go to college if the complicated and confusing financial aid process were simplified.
The study tracked 17,000 low-income individuals ranging in age from 18 to 30, earning less than $45,000 per year. The study ultimately found that the lack of information and confusing financial aid forms actually deterred students and prevented access. The researchers divided the subjects into two groups, where one group would be given significant assistance in filling out the FASFA form, along with a streamlined version of the form. The other group would have to fill out the forms without aid information or assistance. The researchers found that those who had access to information along with the streamlined version of the form faired much better at gaining access to college. Below are a few of the reports findings:
• The program increased college enrollment by 20 percent for young adults already out of high school.
• 33 percent more people actually received a federal grant.
• The program increased FAFSA submissions by 186 percent for independent students who had never been to college.
Researchers did find that participants who were not given direct assistance in filling out the FASFA from did not have higher aid application rates. This suggests that the real barrier to college access is the complexity of the form itself. To read the entire study please click here.
