FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Erin Powers
Director of Marketing & Communications
(202) 785-6959
[email protected]
WASHINGTON, D.C., MAY 18, 2022 — The Department of Education (ED) today announced that it would be making temporary changes to the verification process for the 2022-23 award year as a means of providing relief to students and reducing existing barriers to enrollment for millions of low-income students who need access to financial aid.
"Each year, the verification process poses unnecessary hurdles for students who are most in need of financial assistance. Verification disproportionately impacts low-income students, the very same population that is most impacted by today's economic turbulence. We laud the Department of Education for providing this sweeping relief to students and schools when they need it most.
The financial aid profession has not been immune to the 'great resignation.' Facing chronic staffing shortages, aid offices are struggling to help students through this bureaucratic process, which often results in little to no change in a student's Pell Grant eligibility. Financial aid administrators across the country will put these waivers to good use, and as they did last year, will fast track financial aid dollars to students who are otherwise mired in bureaucratic red tape.
We look forward to future changes to the FAFSA that should decrease the need for verification. But until those legislative changes are fully implemented, these waivers are an operational must."
About NASFAA
The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) is a nonprofit membership organization that represents more than 32,000 financial aid professionals at approximately 3,000 colleges, universities, and career schools across the country. NASFAA member institutions serve nine out of every 10 undergraduates in the U.S. Based in Washington, DC, NASFAA is the only national association with a primary focus on student aid legislation, regulatory analysis, and training for financial aid administrators. For more information, visit www.nasfaa.org.
Publication Date: 5/18/2022