Download This PaperCustomized Nudging to Improve FAFSA Completion and Income Verification
47 Pages Posted: 19 Oct 2016 Last revised: 17 May 2018
Date Written: May 14, 2018
Abstract
Informational and behavioral barriers hinder social benefit take-up. We investigate the impact of mitigating these barriers through providing personalized information on benefits application status and application assistance on filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the gateway to college financial aid. Through a multi-district experiment, we assess the impact of this outreach, delivered via text message. We additionally discuss lessons for scale derived from statewide implementation in Delaware. This data-driven strategy improves FAFSA completion and college matriculation and potentially reduces the negative consequences of additional procedural hurdles such as FAFSA income verification, required of approximately one-third of filers.
Keywords: FAFSA, Financial Aid, College Access
JEL Classification: I22, I23
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation