Financial Aid
FASFA App Updates Improve Usability, Security
With seniors starting to apply for college, the U.S. Department of Education announced updates to the FASFA mobile app to make the process easier for students and parents.
One year after the launch of myStudentAid, the FASFA mobile app, the U.S. Department of Education is making changes to make the app and FASFA website more compatible.
Students and their parents are now able to switch easily between the online FASFA form and the myStudentAid app. Those who submit a FASFA form on ED's website will also get access to their Student Aid Report (SAR) via the mobile app. And students who submitted a SAR for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 cycles will be able to view both documents through the app.
Other updates to the app include checklists to guide students and parents through the student aid process and push notifications for reminders and updates from ED's Office of Federal Student Aid. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool is also becoming mobile-friendly.
To make information entered into the FASFA process more secure, social security numbers will be masked when entered on the online website. This functionality was made available through the myStudentAid app last year.
ED also announced a pilot for students at participating schools to receive their credit balance refunds through a new myFSApay account function in the myStudentAid mobile app. Students will be able to their own money to the account and the service will be free of charge. This pilot is expected to launch by the end of this year.
"Improving students and families' experience with the FAFSA has been a key priority since day one," said ED Secretary Betsy DeVos. "With our transformative myStudentAid mobile app and customer-centric approach, completing the FAFSA is now simpler, faster and more intuitive."
The revamped FASFA app is now available through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
About the Author
Sara Friedman is a reporter/producer for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe covering education policy and a wide range of other public-sector IT topics.
Friedman is a graduate of Ithaca College, where she studied journalism, politics and international communications.
Friedman can be contacted at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @SaraEFriedman.
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