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Notice of the updated Draft 2018-2019 Federal Student Aid Application Materials

Posted Date: July 13, 2017

Author: Lisa DiCarlo, Director, Student Experience Group, Federal Student Aid

Subject: Notice of the updated Draft 2018-2019 Federal Student Aid Application Materials

Draft versions of the proposed 2018-2019 application forms used by individuals applying for federal student aid, including the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA®) form and the Student Aid Report (SAR), are available for public comment. Only comments regarding the FAFSA, SAR, and related forms should be submitted during this comment period. Comments related to topics such as the FSA ID and the Verification Process should not be submitted using this process.

The federal student aid application process is required to collect and process the data necessary to determine a student’s eligibility to receive Title IV, HEA program assistance. The application process begins with an applicant submitting a FAFSA to the Department of Education. After submitting the FAFSA, the applicant receives a SAR, which is a summary of the data the applicant submitted on the FAFSA. The applicant reviews the SAR, and if necessary, makes corrections or updates to the submitted FAFSA data.

Comments submitted during the 60-day comment period have been reviewed by the Department of Education and compiled into a single document that includes the Department’s responses; this document can be found here.

The updated draft documents are available for review; included in the posted documentation are:

  • The 2018-2019 Data Elements Justification, which provides an explanation for every question on the FAFSA;

  • The updated Paper Summary of Enhancements to the 2018-2019 Free Application for Federal Student Aid;

  • The updated Web Summary of Enhancements to the 2018-2019 Free Application for Federal Student Aid;

  • The updated Supporting Statement for the 2018-2019 FAFSA;

  • The updated draft of the 2018-2019 FAFSA;

  • The updated draft of the 2018-2019 SAR; and

  • The updated draft of the 2018-2019 SAR Acknowledgement

All documents can be viewed by clicking this link: https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=ED-2017-ICCD-0044. Once the Web page opens, click on “Supporting Statements (30D FRN)” or “Forms and Instructions (30D FRN)” and each of the “DOC” or “PDF” icons to open the documents.

Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov by searching on Docket ID number ED-2017-ICCD-0044-0029 or by linking directly to the site here https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=ED-2017-ICCD-0044-0029. Click on the “Comment Now!” button to submit a comment.

We have made some changes to the application as a result of comments received during the 60-day comment period. These changes are explained in the FAFSA Enhancements Summary documents, which can be found here https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=ED-2017-ICCD-0044-0030; click on a “DOC” icon next to either the Paper Summary of Enhancements or the Web Summary of Enhancements to open the document.