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UNDERSTANDING FAFSA | Website, Curriculum & Experience Design
How might the FAFSA application process be redesigned to improve both comprehension and trust in accessing federal student aid?
Health and Opportunities High School. Bronx, NY.
The cost of higher education in the U.S. has skyrocketed, with tuition at public 4-year colleges rising over 179% in the last two decades—far outpacing inflation. As a result, students from low and middle-income backgrounds often take on significant debt just to access a degree. Today, cost remains one of the biggest barriers to enrollment: over half of students who stopped out or never enrolled cite affordability as a key reason.
Objective: Design a guide, curriculum, and website that demystifies the FAFSA application process to improve student understanding and promote clarity, access, and equity.
Process:
- Field Research (site visits, listening sessions, FAFSA nights)
- Participatory Design (workshops with students)
- Synthesis (journey mapping, pattern making)
- Output (website redesign, article publications)
Team: Shristi Singh, Varshini Balaji, Kim Nauer
Date: 2022 - 2023
Partners: UnderstandingFAFSA.org, Center for New York City Affairs,
The City University of New York, Parsons Scholars Program
Thought Partners: uAspire, Ideas42
Awards: Spark Award for Design Impact
Visit website here
FAFSA Guide:
The Understanding FAFSA guide is currently distributed to all NYC public high school seniors in English and/or in their home language.
Download the guide here
Articles:
- Need Help with the FAFSA? Five Websites We Recommend
- Five Ways to Find College Money on TikTok
- Your Scholarship Hunt: Where to Start on the Big Websites
- Help for Students in Temporary Housing
Website Redesign: