U.S. Department of Education makes temporary changes to ease Pell Grant process

The U.S. Department of Education is making temporary changes to the federal aid verification process that it says will reduce barriers that prevent students from accessing financial aid.

In a press release, the department said that in a typical year, Pell Grant-eligible students are asked to submit documentation to verify their income, such as transcripts of tax returns. Non-Pell Grant students are not asked to verify their income.

“As a result, the verification process disproportionately burdens students from low-income backgrounds and students of color. The process can be extremely challenging for students, particularly because at least 20 percent of Pell-eligible applicants are exempt from tax filing due to their low-income levels,” the statement from the department reads.

This year, those documents will not be necessary for Pell Grant-eligible students and the department will focus only on identity theft and fraud. The changes will apply to students as they fill out their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form for the upcoming 2021-22 cycle.

“This has been an exceptionally tough year,” Richard Cordray, Chief Operating Officer of Federal Student Aid (FSA), said in a statement. “We need to ensure students have the most straightforward path to acquiring the financial aid they need to enroll in college and continue their path to a degree.

– Michael Burke