From left are MorraLee Keller, Kim Cook, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, Laurie Meggesin, and Maria Carvalho
FCAN executive director Laurie Meggesin joined National College Access Network (NCAN) president Kim Cook for a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos during the 2017 Federal Student Aid Training Conference for Financial Aid Professionals in Orlando.
DeVos, the keynote speaker during day 1 of the conference, outlined some of the significant changes coming to the Office of Federal Student Aid, including the announcement that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) would move to a mobile app. She also voiced support for efforts to simplify the FAFSA form to make it more user-friendly for more students and families.
“This overhaul is long overdue,” DeVos said. “Students and their families should be treated like the valued customers they are and should have access to the tools needed for success. Today’s announcement is a significant first step in our commitment to improving the experiences students, parents and borrowers have with FSA and in bringing federal student aid programs into the 21st century.”
“We feel like our concerns have been heard and appreciate that FSA is putting students first in this endeavor,” NCAN Executive Director Kim Cook said. “NCAN and our members have long advocated for a simpler FAFSA that will move the needle on college completion, and a mobile aid application will help achieve that end.”
Laurie Meggesin, FCAN’s executive director, said the mobile app could prove to be a valuable tool in helping reach tech-savvy students.
“Part of what we hear from our partners around the state is that the FAFSA form is intimidating and overly complicated for students and families,” Meggesin said. “Simplifying the FAFSA form and making it available through a mobile app to utilize the technology that our students are most accustomed to today will help more students access the financial aid they need to attend college.”