FAFSA Mobile App Will Launch This Spring

iStock

Students and parents will soon be able to use their smartphones to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced Tuesday that the mobile platform will roll out this spring as part of a larger effort to modernize the federal student aid system.

“The goal is a customer service experience that will rival Amazon or Apple’s Genius Bar,” DeVos told a group of student aid professionals gathered in Orlando. “…Students should be able to complete their FAFSA easily on their phones and in one sitting. They should receive expert, tailored advice about their options.”

The mobile app is expected to launch in April, which will also include functions to help borrowers manage their student loans.

“It’s not a simple project, but I think it’s a worthwhile one given how many people are accessing the internet primarily through their phones,” Clare McCann, deputy for federal higher education policy at New America, told Inside Higher Ed.

Read a transcript of the announcement.

Admitted writer/editor Mary Stegmeir welcomes additional comments and story ideas at mstegmeir@nacacnet.org.