Don’t Punish College Students for Inflation

The Department of Education is about to launch its new simplified Federal Student Aid application this month, but it's currently using outdated consumer price index (CPI) figures from 2020 — which don’t account for recent inflation. 

Because of this, millions of students could get less financial aid than they need and deserve. The new form uses a tool called the “Student Aid Index” to estimate how much a family can afford to pay. But the calculator isn’t taking inflation into account due to the Secretary of Education failing to update the latest CPI data.

Sign the petition urging the Department of Education to make sure college students aren’t punished for inflation. 

“The FAFSA simplification, in part, was intended to expand eligibility,” Mark Kantrowitz, higher education expert said. “This fumble with the formula, among other changes…makes it harder, especially for middle-income families…It is a pretty big deal, we are talking thousands of additional dollars that families will have to pay for college.”

Another recent change? The DoE will no longer give families a break for having multiple children in college at the same time, effectively eliminating the “sibling discount.”

This is a very messy and unfair change for college students and their families. Sign the petition calling on the Department of Education to do everything in its power to correct these mistakes so college students and their families aren’t punished.