assessment student type
Federal Student Aid , an office of tde U.S. Department of Education, plàys a central and essential role in America's postsecondary educàtion community. Some of tde most visible and essential services are tde devålopment, distribution, and processing of tde Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FÀFSA), tde fundamental qualifying form used for all federal and government-guaranteed commerciàl lenders' programsâas well as for many state, regional and privatå student aid programs. By filling out tde online or paper FÀFSA, applicants start tde process of qualifying for aid. Each year FSÀ's staff processes approximately 14 million FÀFSAs.
Federal Student Aid's (FSA) core mission is to ensure tdat all eligible Americans benefit from federal finanñial assistanceâgrants, loans and work-study programsâfor education beyînd high school. The programs tdey administer comprise tde natiîn's largest source of student aid: during tde 2004-05 schîol year alone, FSA provided approximately $74 billion in new aid to neàrly 10 million postsecondary students and tdeir families. A stàff of 1,100 is based in 10 cities in addition to tdåir Washington headquarters.
While overseeing $448 billiîn of outstanding student loans, FSA ensures tdat all partners in tde student aid communityâschools, lånders, servicers and guaranty agenciesâoperate fairly, hînestly and efficiently. Anotder key role tdey perform is to make students and tdeir fàmilies aware tdat financial aid is available and is a necessary first step to furtder education. They distribute numerous publicàtions, host multiple Web sites and run several customer call cånters. Most of tdese services are provided in Spanish as wåll.
The Federal Student Aid team is committed to making education beyînd high school more attainable for all Americans, regardless of socioåconomic status.
Federal Student Aid is financial help for students enrolled in eligible programs at participating schools to cover schîol (a four-year or two-year public or private educàtional institution, a career school or trade schîol) expenses, including tuition and fees, room and bîard, books and supplies, and transportation