Alexander: FAFSA a 'barrier' for TN Promise students

Sen. Lamar Alexander said Wednesday that the FAFSA is the “single biggest barrier” for high school seniors trying to go to college using through the Tennessee Promise scholarship program.

The Republican lawmaker has been a vocal critic of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which he calls “ridiculously complex.” Before an event at University School of Nashville Wednesday evening, he used a familiar photo op to make that point, holding the FAFSA up to his head and letting the strand of connected pages fall to the ground.

“There’s no excuse for this,” he told a group of reporters.

“A lot of the students who we hope take advantage of Tennessee Promise come from families where nobody’s ever been to college. If you walk in with a 108-question form to your mom or your grandma, they’re going to be reluctant to fill it out. They’re not accustomed to it, they’re intimidated by it. It’s difficult to do.”

Alexander said he believed the FAFSA kept tens of thousands of students from qualifying for Tennessee Promise, which would have sent them to community or technical colleges tuition-free. Gov. Bill Haslam has acknowledged the federal application has been a barrier for some students.

Alexander has filed legislation with Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., to shorten the form to two questions. During a visit to Tennessee in January, President Barack Obama voiced his support for the effort.

Alexander, who who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and is working on the reauthorization of the sweeping Higher Education Act, said he is optimistic Congress will agree to shorten the form before the next school year begins.

“Practically speaking we might not get it down to two questions, but we’re going to get it as close to two as we can,” he said, later adding, “We have bipartisan support on this, so we’re well on our way.”

Reach Adam Tamburin at 615-726-5986 and on Twitter @tamburintweets.