Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Using FAFSA Against Students

Some colleges are denying admission and perhaps reducing financial aid to students based on a single, non-financial, non-academic question that students submit to the federal government on their applications for student aid.

Millions of high school students and their parents probably have no idea this happens after they fill out the ubiquitous Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The form, known as the FAFSA, is used by nearly every American who needs help paying for college.

It turns out students’ pleas for help are now being systematically used against them by some colleges.

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Besides turning away students who put their institution further down the list, some college officials may also be offering smaller aid packages to students who list their institution highly, according to several prominent higher education consultants who advise institutions across the country on enrollment practices.

This could be happening because students are more likely to pay whatever it takes to attend the college of their choice. So some colleges are offering the students most interested in attending less financial aid on the premise that the students will come to the campus anyway, whatever the price. Of course, colleges have other means to judge how serious an applicant is, presuming for example that those who visit the campus are more committed than those who do not. And some colleges base admissions and aid decisions in part on such criteria.