US Dept. of Education says over 1 million used new FAFSA form, more Georgia students get Pell Grants

ATLANTA — Days after the U.S. Department of Education launched a redesigned application for college financial aid, expanding Pell Grant eligibility by 1.5 million students, department officials said more than one million students had already used the updated form.

The new form, which the USDOE said was the first update to the application since Ronald Reagan was president, made receiving a Pell Grant open to more students in every state, as well as boosting how much some of the qualifying low-income students could receive.

According to a release from USDOE, the “significantly improved” FAFSA form was expected to help 610,000 new students gain access to the Pell Grants, which could allow them to get more assistance to afford enrollment higher education.

Data from federal officials showed how many more Georgia students are able to take part in those opportunities, compared to how many could do so with the previous form.

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Officials previously said “the changes to the FAFSA form represent the most ambitious and significant redesign of the processes to apply for federal student aid and the formulas used to determine aid eligibility since the Common Financial Aid Form,” when announcing the changes in November.

Updates to the form are part of two recent pieces of legislation, the FUTURE Act and the FAFSA Simplification Act, according to USDOE.

“Over one million students and families and counting have successfully filled out the ‘Better FAFSA,’ which is now available 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” U.S. Secretary of Miguel Cardona said in a statement. “The fact that over a million students were able to complete the Better FAFSA during its brief soft launch period underscores our commitment to making applying for college financial aid simpler and easier than ever before. With the Better FAFSA now live 24/7, we are moving the federal financial aid application into the 21st century and in the process, putting affordable higher education within the reach of 610,000 students from families with low incomes who will now be eligible for Pell Grants for the very first time.”

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Now, data shows that tens of thousands of Georgia students were impacted by the changes to the FAFSA forms.

According to the department, over 16,460 Georgia students are now eligible for the Pell Grant, while more than 49,000 were able to get a bigger amount awarded for their enrollment in higher education.

“We have heard from students and families that the new FAFSA form is a better experience that’s easier to complete,” Federal Student Aid Chief Richard Cordray said in a statement. “We recognize how important it is for students and families to get the information they need on StudentAid.gov to plan for the upcoming school year. We will continue to communicate directly with students, families, and schools about how they can access the maximum support available to them to pursue their higher education dreams.”

Unlike student loans, both public and private, Pell Grants do not have to be repaid.

After a brief testing period before the New Year, department officials made the new form continuously available to prospective students.

The form is available to high school seniors and current college students online.

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