As the Trump administration maintains radio silence related to the suspension of a data tool that's key to the financial aid application process, some researchers have found evidence suggesting the tool's removal may be contributing to a slowdown in application rates. And aid advisers say the more burdensome application process has delayed college decisions for many students.
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Education announced last month -- after more than a week of questions from financial aid officers and advocacy groups -- that they had taken down the data retrieval tool that allows users to automatically import their family's income information into the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. In a more recent update, the administration said the tool could be unavailable until the beginning of the next aid cycle. Student advocates warned that without the site, the FAFSA application process would be slowed for students, who also would face more income verification checks after completing the applications.
Read more at Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/04/10/lack-irs-data-tool-may-harm-fafsa-application-rates-and-already-hurting-students