The process for federal student aid is the latest part of the American higher education system to get calls for more transparency and privacy from outside groups.
The National Association for College Admission Counseling is asking the federal government to stop providing student information filled out on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to colleges, Inside Higher Ed reports. The group believes some of this information can be used against students who apply for admission and financial aid.
When students fill out a FAFSA, they are asked to list up to 10 colleges they plan to apply to. They are told to list them in any order, not necessarily a ranked list. This list is then passed on to the colleges without notifying the students.
Inside Higher Ed said this has created the “FAFSA position,” meaning that the the order in which students list colleges on the FAFSA list indicates the students’ order of preference. Basically, colleges at the top of the list are the top choices and interest declines throughout the list.
Some colleges use this “FAFSA position” when considering students’ applications and in some cases, it helps determine admission, placement on a wait list or even the amount of financial aid offered.
But students are never given any information about how colleges may use the information and that is what has the National Association for College Admission Counseling concerned.
“While students may volunteer this information, the association believes that a student’s right to keeping such information private is an integral part of maintaining a fair admission process,” NACAC said in an email.
The group said the U.S. Department of Education should not be providing this information to colleges at all.
If that cannot be changed, they should at least inform students that the information is being sent to colleges and the colleges on the list should be randomized or alphabetized so the list can’t be used by admissions offices or enrollment management consultants to predict student behavior, NACAC continued.
The U.S. Education Department announced last year that it would review this practice. Inside Higher Ed reports that the NACAC email is a part of the department’s call for public comments about how to improve the entire FAFSA.
