Every year, most seniors applying for college fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or the FAFSA. This form is used by colleges to determine a student’s financial aid package. The problem with the FAFSA is that the students’ parents have to make under a certain amount of money every year in order for that child to be eligible for financial aid. In my opinion, that is not fair.

On the FAFSA website it states that the program, “consistently champions the promise of postsecondary education to all Americans,” but this promise is not to all Americans, just the ones who are eligible. Because parents are hard-working and make a good income, it still doesn’t mean they can pay for college. In this recession, I’m sure it’s very rare that parents can fully pay for their child’s college education without any help. Whether a parent is paying $12,615 for Rutgers University or $41,304 for Drew University, both require financial aid.

I have just recently sent in my FAFSA form and am still waiting to hear if I will get money from the Federal Student Aid program. A friend of mine applied last year, and since his parents made too much money he could not get any aid. I was upset for him because I knew his parents had to pay for him and his brother, but because his parents made “too much” money neither of them could get the aid. His mom had to get another job to help pay for food on the table and both of their colleges. Now with this extra job, she really makes too much money to be eligible for aid next year.

This has to change. Every student deserves a chance to get federal financial aid to pay for college. The requirements for Federal Student Aid should be lowered to help everyone pay for postsecondary education. Colleges are getting more expensive every year and those who are not able to afford college just aren’t going to go. Federal Student Aid doesn’t seem like a program that really cares about every American, just the ones who are “poor.”