The federal government has in recent months made several changes to the application process for federal financial aid, in an effort to make it easier and more straightforward. But one change -- switching from a four-digit PIN for online access to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to a more standard and secure log-in identification and password -- may be having the opposite effect.
"We are getting more complaints on this issue from our members than we’ve ever gotten on anything," said Elizabeth Morgan, director of external relations for the National College Access Network, an association of nonprofit groups and other organizations focused on expanding college access for low-income and first-generation college students.
Morgan said the group has received complaints from more than 40 of its member organizations, including several state agencies that administer state financial aid. No one element of the new ID system is specifically to blame, she said. But many aspects make the sign-up process prohibitively difficult, especially for low-income families with limited access to email or with lower technological literacy.
Read more at Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/18/new-id-requirements-federal-aid-may-discourage-some-low-income-students