FAFSA app could encourage more students to apply for aid
(Harrisburg) — The federal Education Department is working on a mobile app for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
The tool could potentially make higher education more accessible to more students.
Andrew Marah, director of financial aid at HACC, said a lot of aid is available for students, but the most difficult part is getting students to fill out the FAFSA.
Marah saw the pitch video for the new app at a recent Education Department conference and said he thinks it will encourage people who are intimidated by the process.
“I think if it’s more accessible, we can get more people to apply. And then once they’ve applied, the financial aid offices in HACC, we can start getting people the aid that they need to go to school,” Marah said.
More than 60 percent of students at HACC receive federal financial aid.
While the app would make the 108-question form more easily available, it doesn’t promise to simplify the questions, or eliminate redundant ones.
A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.
