Yes it is very frustrating. They are pretty much saying you better pop out a kid or else you are going to be paying out of pocket for the first 4 years.

well sounds like I’m dragging somebody down to the courthouse. I have two semesters left. I really don’t want to quit now, but with this new 10% increase in tuition. My options are limited.

I think a huge factor here is if you have a family or not. If you are single yet independent from your parents they will still ask for your parent’s info because they see it as you are still just their child. Sound’s stupid but that is pretty much how it works. I went through that when I graduated. However as soon as I had my daughter and was married they finally granted me the money needed to start college. Up until that point I did not have the financial means to go because like most my parents were not forking out money to help. By the time I was 18 I was on my own with my fiance filling for my own taxes, paying my own bills, no financial help from my parents what so ever. However the financial aid system still looked at me as dependent on my parents and the school told me straight out that the only way to file independently was to be either 22 or married or with a child.

mob1, that statement is ENTIRELY incorrect.  I am white and just about 2 months I received my award letter and I’m not going to lie, I am receiving about $13,000 for the 2009-2010 school year.  I have several friends that are black and just a few weeks ago we were talking about debt and some of my black friends have 30,000 in student loan debt, so being black or white has nothing to do with it.

The key to government aid grants is which ethnicity you fill out White or African-American. If you answer this question incorrectly it doesn’t matter how you answer all other questions.
And the Obama Admin is obviously going to make this question more important.

I fill out that damned form every year. I still don’t get anything from them. My parents make too much money. And even though I have not lived with them for three years, they do not file me as a dependent and I file as an independent the FAFSA and financial aid nazi’s still require that I have my parents information. So my E.F.C. ends up being an astronomical $7900. Yet, my REAL family contribution is $0. Instead of making the simple form easier for dumb and lazy people to fill out. How about make it possible for people who NEED the money, to get it.
Actually, this year I filled out their independent verificiation sheet. It asked me who I support and I wrote down my name and my boyfriend’s name, since we work and support eachother I figured it would be OK. Nope… they sent me an email yesterday asking for my parents tax returns from last year….

Perhaps it’s not just the FAFSA. Dealing with Financial Aid Departments has become more difficult. And after the fact, Sallie Mae is unethical, corrupt, and very confused!

So in essence what the administration is admitting is that most people are just to lazy to take the time to fill out the application. I doubt the number of questions is the issue, I think it is more of a literacy issue as to why todays applicants give up. I know when I finished High School I had all the time in the world to fill out applications.
So the last paragraph brings to light the real the real population target those going for PELL GRANTS. Which would inturn come back to a Plain English Speaking Literacy issue.

Well thats my opinion which I am sure someone will not like and I will get a TOS email from WKRG.

If they are referring to the FAFSA it honestly is not that difficult to fill out, as long as you have the correct documents needed, it’s all right there. It says on there it should take about 1-3 hours to fill out, I was done in 45 minutes but I do agree that there are too many questions on there but it would also be nice if colleges would stop raising tuition every year and if books were reasonably priced but I know that’s holding on to false hope that won’t happen.