A Walk-through for studentaid.gov

By Rick Cox

Students applying for federal financial aid can now do everything necessary on the website studentaid.gov, which is mobile phone responsive.

Aiden, FSA’s virtual assistant, is able to assist with completing the FAFSA and other questions related to studentaid.gov.

The website is a single platform that supports customers and allows action to be taken during the lifecycle of the student’s aid. The mobile app myStudentAid was retired in June 2022 because of lack of use by students. The analytics reflected that most students or parents preferred to visit the website and complete the process through their electronic devices other than the phone app.

The team will continue to improve the functionality of Aidan, as well as improve the look and feel of the website.

Upcoming enhancements include additional work to the tool for Public Service Loan Forgiveness with servicer integration, FAFSA Simplification efforts, and loan consolidation and Income Driven Repayment plans.

The following FAFSA updates have occurred for the 2023-2024 year:

Removal of Selective Service and drug conviction eligibility questions
Homelessness questions are now prepopulated with data from previous award years
The addition of demographic survey questions at the end of the FAFSA process requesting (not required) sex/gender and race/ethnicity

PSLF is now available on studentaid.gov with enhanced Help Tools and capability to search for an employer without logging in or completing the PSLF Help Tool workflow.

In addition, enhanced security will be added to create barriers to unauthorized access. The verification methods will now include SMS text sent to a verified number, email sent to a verified email address or a Time Based One Time Password (TOTP), which will be generated from an authenticator app.

Updates within the banner message will still be present to provide information on the status of the payment pause.

Rick Cox is Global’s Executive Director of Regulatory Affairs and Compliance