MARIETTA, Ohio (July 19, 2016) - Last year, major changes were made to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that will impact students beginning this fall. Washington State Community College (WSCC) Director of Financial Aid Shannon Venezia was recently on Capitol Hill giving kudos to Congress for the progress made – and advocating for continued reform.

The initial changes will unfurl this fall when the filing date of the FAFSA will be moved from January 1 to October 1. The FAFSA is a required form submitted to the government in order to receive financial aid from state and federal programs, which can help pay for higher education.

The government has also changed the tax year for which the FAFSA is based.  Applications will now utilize income information from two years prior.

Venezia says the value of these changes is three-fold. First, they eliminate the delay of waiting for tax forms. Secondly, it should make the FAFSA application process easier because applicants, in many circumstances, will be able to use IRS data retrieval. Lastly, it will give families more time to look at the cost of college and make informed decisions about what school the student should attend based on aid eligibility.