FYI. Great info. Be in the KNOW! ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: "Michele Scott" <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Monday, January 11, 2010 5:49:36 PM Subject: [WESTOP] Fwd: Simplifying the FAFSA FYI- This information was shared with me from a colleague on campus. Michele Sent on behalf of the Office of Communications & Outreach, U.S. Department of Education: News and Information - Jan. 8, 2010 ************************************** U.S. Department of Education Hispanic Outreach & Resources January 8, 2010 ************************************** ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! Great News! As many of you have heard, Department has been working on simplifying the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). The day has arrived! Read on for details... Earlier this week, Secretary Duncan and Dr. Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden and a long-time educator, joined students at Washington, D.C.’s Benjamin Banneker Senior High School as they worked with counselors to complete the new, streamlined Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The 2010-11 FAFSA-on-the-Web has been redesigned to be shorter, simpler, and more user-friendly. Questions are now asked only if relevant to the applicant; low-income students, for example, are no longer asked for asset information, and only returning students are asked about prior drug convictions because the question does not apply to first-year students. Also, immediately after submitting the FAFSA, applicants will now receive a confirmation email message which indicates Pell Grant eligibility and links to information about the schools they are applying to, such as graduation and transfer rates and a detailed breakdown of costs and expected expenses associated with the schools. Most higher education institutions began receiving updates and tutorials on the new application in early December (via training, the Federal Student Aid conference, webinars and www.ifap.ed.gov). Later this month, those applying for aid in the spring semester using the 2009-10 FAFSA will be able to retrieve and import their tax data from the Internal Revenue Services (IRS). And, in summer 2010, those applying for aid in the 2010-11 a year will also be able to access the IRS web site to retrieve income information to complete the FAFSA. President Obama has challenged the nation to have the world’s highest percentage of college graduates by 2020. Simplifying the federal student aid application process supports that goal by making it easier for students to access financial support for postsecondary studies. Students could begin filing FAFSAs for the 2010-11 academic year on January 1. FOR MORE INFORMATION: PLEASE GO TO http://www.edgovblogs.org/duncan/2010/01/a-simpler-application-for-student-aid/. NOTE: It is available in Spanish, just go to the link on the upper right hand corner at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. Check out the attachment to get a feel for the changes. Warm regards to you all, Ida R Eblinger Kelley Director, Hispanic Outreach & Communications Office of Communications & Outreach ½ U.S. Department of Education Attachment: FAFSA Jan 2010 update 2 (2).docx (851Kbytes) _______________________________________________ Listserv mailing list [log in to unmask] http://westop.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/listserv -- CSU, Fresno Educational Talent Search Program 5048 N. Jackson Ave. M/S LS 140 Fresno, CA 93740-8022 (559)278-2271/278-2276 FAX: 278-2322 "You always pass failure on the way to success." -Mickey Rooney