Bill Would Force NJ Students To Fill Out FAFSA To Graduate High School

NEW JERSEY — New Jersey students would be required to fill out the federal financial aid application to graduate from high school under a bill introduced by New Jersey Sen. Robert Singer.

The bill, S2054, sponsored by Singer and Sen. Shirley Turner, was approved by the state Senate Education Committee on Monday and sent to the Senate for a vote. Its companion bill in the Assembly, A1181, passed the Assembly 45-32 on June 30.

The goal of the bill, Singer said, is to make sure all students are informed about financial assistance that could allow them to pursue a college education.

"The student financial aid crisis is growing by the minute and students applying to colleges need all the assistance they can get," said Singer, who represents the 30th District including Lakewood. "Requiring students to complete financial aid applications as a prerequisite for graduation could make students more knowledgeable about their financial aid options."

"This legislation could make applying to colleges less strenuous for students, and their families, and could help applicants secure additional grants and scholarships," Singer said.

Julie Borst, executive director of Save Our Schools New Jersey, says the requirement poses a hurdle for students who do not have the support of their parents or guardians to complete the financial aid forms.

"We completely understand why they want to do this," Borst said Tuesday. "If you have kids blanketly applying for federal student aid, you will find kids who didn't know they could afford to go to school."

"I just have a real problem with making it a requirement for the kids to jump through." she said. "If you have a kid who’s in a situation where they’re not friendly with parents, they will have trouble meeting the requirement."

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid — the universal form submitted by students who are applying to college — requires income information for parents or guardians, and draws universal complaints from families each year with the determinations of how much aid it says students are eligible to receive.

For students of low-income families, it can open a pathway to federal grants and scholarships, but student loans are part of the financial package offered by colleges in nearly all instances.

Singer's bill includes language that allows students to submit a signed waiver from their parent or guardian requesting an exemption, or get authorization from their school counselor for the exemption. Students who are 18 years old can request an exemption as well.

"Even with the waiver it becomes onerous for the student," Borst said.

The bill also would require school districts to provide assistance to families in filling out the forms.

"It's a resource drain when we already don’t have resources," she said. "I would rather they focus on funding the schools."

Borst said some districts already provide information to students and parents about the FAFSA, with information sessions during the school year.

"How do we make sure that’s happening everywhere?" she said, instead of making it a graduation requirement.

The National College Attainment Network, which has been advocating for the FAFSA to be filled out as a high school graduation requirement, says the requirement has shown an increase in low-income students who have gone on to college in the states where it has been instituted.

Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, California, Illinois and New Hampshire require it now, and more states are considering it, the New York Times reported.

The biggest complaint families have had about the form for years is the difficulty in completing it, but the U.S. Department of Education announced Nov. 15 that it has streamlined the form and simplified it.

In addition, changes are anticipated to help 610,000 new students nationwide from low-income backgrounds qualify for federal Pell Grants.

"The new FAFSA form will also help 1.5 million more students receive the maximum Pell Grant — bringing the total number of students eligible for the maximum Pell Grant amount to more than 5.2 million," the education department said.

The federal education departmentsaid the changes to the FAFSA form and and the formulas used to determine aid eligibility are the first significant change since the Reagan era.

The better FAFSA form will be available for students and parents by Dec. 31, 2023, federal officials said.

"The better FAFSA redesign goes well beyond just a new form," education officials said. "Starting with the 2024–25 award year, the better FAFSA form reflects updates to student aid calculations that will extend Pell Grants to more students. Pell Grant eligibility will be linked to family size and the federal poverty level."