SIMPLIFYING THE FAFSA: EXAMINATION OF EFFECTIVENESS OF IRS DATA

RETRIEVAL TOOL FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS

By

LESLIE HARGER

Submitted to

The Faculty of the Higher Education Leadership Program

Northwest Missouri State University Missouri

Department of Educational Leadership

College of Education and Human Services

Maryville, MO 64468

Dr. Kristy A. Bishop

Field Study Advisor

Submitted in Fulfillment of Graduation Requirements for

61-657 Introduction to Institutional Research

15 July 2015

1

Table of Contents

Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………2

List of Tables and Figures………………………………………………………………………....3

Section One: Background, Introduction to the Study, and Literature Review………..………..…4

Section Two: Methods…………………………………………………………………………...11

Section Three: Results…………………………………………………………………………...17

Section Four: Discussion………………………………………………………………………...19

References………………………………………………………………………………………..21

Appendices…………………………………………………………………………………….…23

2

Abstract

Around half of all undergraduate students in the US attend community college and they

receive around a third of total Pell Grants, which can pay for most or all of their tuition and fees,

thanks to the affordability at the community college level. However, the FAFSA has proven to

be a barrier for most of these students. Students find the application complex and intimidating,

which pushes many students away from applying, even though they are likely eligible for funds.

This can also cause students to work part-time to pay for their education, which can decrease

their success rate. The Department of Education has in recent years taken steps to simplify the

FAFSA, most recently with the implementation of the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, which helps a

student transfer tax information from the IRS directly onto the FAFSA, eliminating confusion

and potential for error. Since many students who use Pell Grants are also selected for the

FAFSA verification process, this study examines whether the IRS Data Retrieval Tool can assist

students in completing their FAFSA verification faster, which in turn can get them the money

that they need to pay for school sooner. The results indicate that students who use the IRS Data

Retrieval Tool completed their verification faster than students who did not. These differences

can increase a student’s chances of getting into desired classes and persisting through their

chosen degree plans.

3

List of Tables and Figures

Tables

Table 1. Gender Percentages for Total Student Group and Select Student Groups……………..14

Table 2. Race Percentages for Total Student Group and Select Student Groups………………..15

Table 3. Mean Age of Student Groups…………………………………………………………………...15

Table 4. Descriptive and t-Test Analysis for Students who Transferred and Did Not Transfer…18

Figures

Figure 1. Genders of Total Group………………………………………………………………..13

Figure 2. Genders of Transferred Group………………………………………………………....13

Figure 3. Genders of Not Transferred Group…………………………………………………….14

Figure 4. Races of Total Group…………………………………………………………………..14

Figure 5. Races of Transferred Group…………………………………………………………...15

Figure 6. Races of Not Transferred Group………………………………………………………15

Figure 7. Mean Age of Student Groups………………………………………………………….16

Figure 8. Independent Samples T-Test of Students that Transferred IRS Data and Students that

Did Not Transfer IRS Data on Number of Days to Process Verification………………………..18

4

Section One: Background, Introduction to the Study, and Literature Review

Background

The biggest obstacle for college students receiving financial aid for college is the Free

Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which it will be addressed as from this point

forward. The FAFSA uses income and household data to determine an Estimated Family

Contribution (EFC) number, which is the indication to a school of the student’s eligibility for

Federal Pell Grants, the most significant financial aid that the FAFSA provides. The FAFSA is

oftentimes complicated for students to complete, as it is lengthy and tedious, asking for many

different types of information from a student. There is also the possibility that the student may be

randomly selected for an audit process called verification that requires the student to provide

additional documentation to their school to ensure that the information on the FAFSA is correct.

Most four year schools have tuition that is too high for the Pell Grant to cover all costs

alone. Community colleges are a cheaper and more practical alternative for students in low

income situations because the Pell Grant will often cover most of these costs for a student. Many

low income students are unable to make payments out of pocket toward their classes, so having

financial aid ready to be used as payment for enrollment is an important way for low income

students to enroll and stay enrolled in their classes. The Pell Grant also keeps low income

students from having to work as much or at all, which has been studied as a negative influence

on their success (Douglass, 2012).

Practice Under Investigation By Study

This study covers whether or not the IRS Data Retrieval tool, a recently added tool on the

FAFSA to assist completion and aid verification processes, allows for a significant improvement

in processing time. Since the FAFSA can be intimidating for students, it has been streamlined in

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the past few years to try to make it easier to complete. If this process is aiding students, it proves

that there is success in the work being done and that other aspects of the FAFSA can possibly be

simplified as well.

Conceptual Underpinning

Pell Grant recipients are more likely to attend college full time during their first term

(Clery, 2006). Students who attend full time are more successful than part time students

(Douglass, 2012). Community college students that file are more likely to persist to their second

semester of school (McKinney, 2012). These concepts speak to the idea that the FAFSA is an

indispensable tool for students.

Statement of the Problem

The FAFSA is notoriously complex, especially to first-generation or first-time students

(Feeney, 2013). The IRS Data Retrieval Tool is one way that the FAFSA has aimed in recent

years to eliminate some of the complications that the FAFSA may bring to its applicants. There

is no real data to show if the IRS Data Retrieval Tool actually helps students complete their

financial aid processes faster than those who choose not to use it.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to discover if there is a relationship between the IRS Data

Retrieval Tool being used by a student to complete the FAFSA and their process completion

time versus those who choose not to use the tool who have to complete the same processes.

Research Question

● Does the IRS Data Retrieval Tool help students complete the verification process

faster and enable them to utilize financial aid faster than students who do not use

it and input information on their own?

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Null Hypothesis:

There is no difference between those who use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to transfer tax

data onto the FAFSA and those who input the information on their own.

Literature Review

It was projected by the US Department of Education that 8.74 million students received

Pell Grants in the 2011-12 award year with approximately one-third of those recipients attending

community colleges (Baime, 2010). Just over six million of those total Pell Grant recipients had

a zero EFC, which means that they qualified for the full Federal Pell Grant (Kelchen, 2015),

which for that year was $5,550 for a full time student’s entire financial aid year. Community

colleges enroll almost half of undergraduate students in the US, (Bailey, 2005) and with lower

tuition community colleges are often the starting point for low income students.

Studies show that FAFSA filing has a direct association with community college student

persistence to their second semester of school (McKinney, 2012). However, around 20 percent

of students who start at a community college complete more than one semester (Bailey, 2005)

and there are many factors that contribute to that statistic. The FAFSA can be complex and

cumbersome for a lot of students, especially those who are first generation students, who are

shown to file FAFSA applications later than those students who have had a parent go to college

(Feeney, 2013). Even with inflating tuition costs, the Pell Grant is a significant portion of

financial aid for students, especially community college students, as Pell Grants should be able to

cover most or all costs. FAFSAs are filed more often by students in higher income brackets

(Feeney, 2013). Unfortunately many low income students do not understand that they may be

eligible for financial aid. Low income students either don’t know about the availability of aid or

think that they are ineligible (Tebbs, 2005). Approximately 8 million students in 1999-2000

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enrolled for credit at institutions did not apply for a FAFSA, and around 850,000 who did not file

would have likely been eligible for a Pell Grant; students at community colleges are also far less

likely to apply than students at other institutions (King, 2004). This can cause a student to work

while they are attending school and only attend part time, which can decrease their success rate.

Community college students in studies average more working hours per week than traditional

four year students (Douglass, 2012). Pell Grant recipients are more likely to attend college full

time during their first term (Clery, 2006) and students who attend full time are more successful

than part time students (Douglass, 2012). Also, community college students receive 9 percent of

total program funds for campus based programs like Federal Work-Study as well as other grants

and loans (Baime, 2010) so Pell Grants are often times the only free money that a student can

receive. This increases their importance, especially to low income students who are unable to

pay anything out of pocket.

One reason students do not fill out the FAFSA is the complexity of the form and the

feeling that it takes too much time to complete (Davidson, 2013; LaManque, 2009). The

Department of Education has attempted to change and reduce the amount of information in the

FAFSA over the last few years. One of the most significant changes recently was the addition of

the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool transfers a student or dependent

students’ parent tax information onto the FAFSA directly so there is less information for the

student and parent to input and potentially err upon.

The Department of Education began implementing the IRS Data Retrieval Tool for new

FAFSA applicants in January 2010 for the 2009-2010 Award Year (Douglas, 2009). This

process was not available for all applicants until the 2012-2013 Award Year (Bergeron, 2012).

Unfortunately, not every student or parent who filed taxes can use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.

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People who are married and filing taxes Married Filing Separately or as Head of Household are

disqualified from using the tool. Also ineligible are returns that include a 1040x, amended tax

return, and having any Puerto Rican income or foreign income. Additionally, it takes a number

of weeks for taxes to process in order to be used for the Data Retrieval Tool. Anyone who has

filed within three weeks or by mail within the last ten weeks are also not eligible to use the Data

Retrieval Tool until that time passes.

There were studies done prior to the implementation of the IRS Data Retrieval Tool

where FAFSA applications were integrated into events or actions where people were able to sit

and have someone assist them with the application process. One, which was spearheaded by

H&R Block in 2008 (Bettinger, 2012) cross-trained tax professionals with financial aid

information and experimented by having people file their taxes and FAFSA applications in the

same sitting. The study found that those who filed their taxes and a FAFSA at the same time

were more likely to get aid due to meeting state deadlines, to enroll in college, and to persist

through semesters. Another study (Daun-Barnett, 2012) took three different approaches to the tax

filing and FAFSA completion concept: state-sponsored workshops, community service

organization services, and a combination of state funding and community organizations working

together. It was found that the combination of the two was the most successful, as it reached a

broader audience. These studies were done in early 2011, when the IRS Data Retrieval Tool was

being tested for a small group of people. There is no information yet as to the success of the IRS

Data Retrieval Tool, which is the focus of this study.

Anticipated Benefits of the Study

The anticipation for this study is that it shows that the IRS Data Retrieval Tool can

successfully aid students in processing paperwork faster, therefore potentially removing some of

9

the hurdles that may exist for students who want to use financial aid. This may also show that

more work can be done to simplify other parts of the FAFSA as well.

Community college students make up half of total undergraduate college enrollment in

the US (Bailey, 2005) and that number is rising, so they are a key group of students. Students

attending a community college are negatively affected and are less likely to persist past their first

semester if they do not file a FAFSA (McKinney, 2012). By making it easier for students to

complete a FAFSA, more eligible community college students can get the aid that they need to

be successful. Most of these students are unable to make payments out of pocket to hold their

places in class, so there is a possibility that they may not be able to take the classes they need for

their degrees without the assistance of financial aid to pay for the classes and hold their place.

Limitations and Delimitations

The study is limited to community college students at a Midwest urban large college. The

students are all independent students, meaning they are only required to put their financial

information (or their spouse’s as well if they are married) onto the FAFSA.

Definition of Terms

All definitions are from the IFAP Help: Glossary.

Award Year: The period beginning July 1 and ending June 30 of the following year.

Estimated Family Contribution(EFC): The amount a student and the student's family

may be reasonably expected to contribute toward the student's postsecondary education for the

academic year.

Independent: A student who qualifies as an independent student under section 480(d) of

the HEA. A student who satisfies one of the following criteria:

is 24 years of age or older by December 31 of the award year;

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is an orphan, in foster care, or a ward of the court, or was an orphan, in foster care, or a

ward of the court at any time when the individual was 13 years of age or older;

is, or was immediately prior to attaining the age of majority, an emancipated minor or in

legal guardianship as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction in the individual's

State of legal residence;

is a veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States (as defined in subsection (c)(1)) or

is currently serving on active duty in the Armed Forces for other than training purposes;

is a graduate or professional student;

is a married individual;

has legal dependents other than a spouse;

has been verified during the school year in which the application is submitted as either an

unaccompanied youth who is a homeless child or youth or as unaccompanied, at risk of

homelessness, and self-supporting; or

is a student for whom a financial aid administrator makes a documented determination of

independence by reason of other unusual circumstances.

FAFSA: The student aid application provided for under section 483 of the HEA, which is

used to determine an applicant's eligibility for the federal student aid programs.

Federal Pell Grant Program: A grant program authorized by the HEA under which

grants are awarded to help financially needy students meet the cost of their postsecondary

education.

Verification: The process under which an applicant's FAFSA information is selected by

the Department or a school and determined to be accurate (true and complete within certain

parameters) or inaccurate.

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Section Two: Methods

Problems and Purposes Overview

This study aims to find out if the IRS Data Retrieval Tool can help a student process

FAFSA verification information faster and gain ability to use financial aid faster than those who

choose not to use the tool. The FAFSA is a complex application that can sometimes scare

potential students away from applying even though they may be eligible for aid.

Field Study Methods

Research Design

The design is quasi-experimental. The people who use the tool and do not cannot be

randomly assigned.

Variables

The independent variable is the use or choice not to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool on

the FAFSA. The dependent variable is the amount of time it takes for FAFSA verification

changes to process in order for financial aid to be available to be used by the student for

payment.

Research Questions and Null Hypothesis

The research question we seek to answer is:

Does the IRS Data Retrieval Tool help students complete the verification process

faster and enable them to utilize financial aid faster than students who do not use

it and input information on their own?

The null hypothesis is that there is no difference between those who use the IRS Data

Retrieval Tool to transfer tax data onto the FAFSA and those who input the information on their

own.

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Study Group

The 148 students used for this research was obtained using a random sample generator

from a pool of over 2,000 independent students that were required to complete verification at a

midwestern community college during the 2013-14 FAFSA award year and filed 2012 taxes. The

students in the study are divided evenly into two groups and can be classified as: 1) students that

were eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool and successfully transferred their information

onto the FAFSA and 2) students that were eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool and did not

use it, inputting the information from their taxes onto the FAFSA themselves. Not using the IRS

Data Retrieval Tool required the students to submit 2012 IRS Tax Transcripts along with their

verification paperwork to the school to complete processing, which had to be either mailed from

the IRS to the student directly or obtained from an IRS office by the student.

Of the 148 students observed in total, there are 49 male students (33.108%) and 99

female students (66.892%) with an average age of 33.73. There are 78 White students

(52.703%), 40 African American/Black students (27.027%), 11 Hispanic/Latino students

(7.432%), 1 Asian student (0.676%), and 18 not specified (12.162%).

Of the 74 students in the group that successfully used the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, there

are 49 female students (66.216%) and 25 male students (33.784%) with an average age of

33.243. There are 42 White students (56.757%), 16 African American/Black students (21.622%),

7 Hispanic/Latino students (9.459%), 1 Asian student (1.351%), and 8 not specified (10.811%).

Of the 74 students in the group that were eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool and

did not, there are 50 female students (67.568%) and 24 male students (32.432%) with an average

age of 34.216. There are 36 White students (48.649%), 24 African American/Black students

(32.432%) 4 Hispanic/Latino students (5.405%), and 10 not specified (13.514%). Results of the

13

data for the total student group and select student groups are shown below in Table 1-3 and

Figure 1-7.

Table 1.

Gender Percentages for Total Student Group and Select Student Groups.

Total Group Transferred Not Transferred

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Female 99 66.892 49 66.216 50 67.568

Male 49 33.108 25 33.784 24 32.432

TOTAL 148 100 74 100 74 100

67%

33%

Figure 1. Genders of Total Group

Female (99) Male (49)

66%

34%

Figure 2. Genders of Transferred Group

Female (49) Male (25)

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Table 2.

Race Percentages for Total Student Group and Select Student Groups.

Total Group Transferred Not Transferred

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

White 78 52.703 42 56.757 36 48.649

African American/Black 40 27.027 16 21.622 24 32.432

Hispanic/Latino 11 7.432 7 9.459 4 5.405

Asian 1 0.676 1 1.351 0 0

Not Specified 18 7.432 8 10.811 10 13.514

TOTAL 148 100 74 100 74 100

68%

32%

Figure 3. Genders of Not Transferred Group

Female (50) Male (24)

27%

1%

7%12%

53%

Figure 4. Races of Total Group

African American / Black

Asian

Hispanic / Latino

Not Specified

White

15

Table 3.

Mean Age of Student Groups.

Mean Age

Total Group 33.730

Transferred 33.243

Not Transferred 34.216

22%1%

9%

11%57%

Figure 5. Races of Transferred Group

African American / Black

Asian

Hispanic / Latino

Not Specified

White

32%

5%

14%

49%

Figure 6. Races of Not Transferred Group

African American / Black

Hispanic / Latino

Not Specified

White

16

The groups are almost equal along gender lines (33% male to 67% female total, 34%

male to 66% female in the transferred group, and 32% male to 68% female in the not transferred

group). In race comparison, there were more White students who transferred their taxes than did

not (57% transferred to 49% did not transfer). There were fewer Black students who transferred

than did not (22% transferred to 32% did not transfer). More Hispanic students transferred than

did not (9% transferred to 5% did not). The one Asian student in the survey performed the IRS

Data Retrieval Tool. Of those students that did not specify race, more of them did not transfer

than did transfer (11% transferred to 14% did not transfer). The total group had a mean age of

33.73. The group that transferred had a younger mean age of 33.243, where the group that did

not transfer had a significantly older mean age of 34.216.

32.600

32.800

33.000

33.200

33.400

33.600

33.800

34.000

34.200

34.400

Total Group Transferred NotTransferred

Figure 7. Mean Age of Student Groups

Mean Age

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Section Three: Results

Review of Research Design

The data used for this research was taken as a random sample of 148 independent

students that completed verification during the 2013-14 FAFSA award year and filed 2012 taxes.

The students can be classified within two different groups: 1) students that were eligible to use

the IRS Data Retrieval Tool and successfully transferred their information onto the FAFSA and

2) students that were eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool and did not use it, inputting the

information from their taxes onto the FAFSA themselves. Not using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool

required the students to submit 2012 IRS Tax Transcripts along with their verification paperwork

to the school, which had to be either mailed from the IRS to the student or obtained from an IRS

office by the student.

Presentation of Data Analysis, Finds and Interpretations

Research Question: Does the IRS Data Retrieval Tool help students complete the verification

process faster and enable them to utilize financial aid faster than students who do not use it and

input information on their own?

An independent samples t-Test was conducted to determine if a difference in verification

processing time existed between two groups: one who used the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to

transfer tax data directly from the IRS, the other did not and input the information on their own.

The results were statistically significant (MD = 3.405, t = 3.370, p = 0.001). The students that

transferred their tax data from the IRS were processed on average more than three days faster

than those who did not transfer data and input it directly on their own. The results are shown in

Table 4 and Figure 8.

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Table 4.

Descriptive and t-Test Analysis for Students who Transferred and Did Not Transfer.

Groups n Mean SD Mean D T-Test Eta Squared p-value

Transferred 74 3.608 5.239

Not Transferred 74 7.014 6.937 3.405 3.370 0.071 0.001

.000

1.000

2.000

3.000

4.000

5.000

6.000

7.000

8.000

Transferred Not Transferred

Me

an S

core

Figure 8. Independent Samples T-Test of Students that Transfered IRS Data and Students

that Did Not Transfer IRS Data on Number of Days to Process Verification

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Section Four: Discussion

The study showed that there was a significant difference between processing times for

those students who used the data retrieval tool and those who did not. The students who used the

data retrieval tool had lower processing times than the students who did not. For community

college students depending on financial aid to keep them in classes, this amount of time can be

significant in the scope of enrollment, as they are less likely than other socioeconomic brackets

to be able to make any payments out of pocket towards their education. Students should consider

transferring their tax data from the IRS if they are eligible in order to process information faster

in order to use financial aid.

There are some areas in which study needs to go farther. This study focused on solely the

completion of verification in relation to the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. There are other factors that

can inhibit the completion of verification. There are five different classifications of verification,

with only three of them requiring tax data, though they are the three most common verification

types. One verification classification requires proof of High School Diploma or GED, which is

additional documentation that may take longer to get than IRS Tax Transcripts. There are some

that require verification of all forms of untaxed income. There may be a need at a later time to

separate the types of verification to see if that type of verification takes longer than others. Other

studies may want to look at the processing times for dependent students; as student and parent

tax information is needed to complete the FAFSA, this may create additional delays. There is

also a need to look at four-year colleges and universities and colleges in other areas of the

country to see if this same result occurs.

Rising tuition costs and looming student debt has turned many students away from the

four-year college model and toward the more affordable community college system. There are

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many different types of student groups within a community college: traditional college age,

working single parents, displaced workers starting a new career, and more. Since one of the

biggest draws for the community college is affordability, the FAFSA is significantly more

important for these students, as many of them are on a lower income scale and may have all of

their costs paid for by Pell Grant funds offered because of FAFSA completion. Many of these

students are unable to make payments out of pocket to hold places in the classes they need for

their desired degrees, so financial aid is often the only way a low income student is able to hold a

place in class. This is a major reason why financial aid is so important to this group of students.

The Department of Education simplified the FAFSA with the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, and

though it may be a success through this study, there is still a long way to go to truly simplify the

process in order for more students to feel less intimidated and to apply for eligible funds. The

FAFSA has long been a barrier for students with its complexity. This study shows that a

simplified process can assist community college students in receiving eligible funds sooner and

can help them persist and thrive in their education. A more educated population is good for the

greater society, and opening the doors to that with a combination of proper support through

federal funding and the more affordable nature of community college can create a better future

for all involved.

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References

Bailey, T. (2005). Student Success: Challenges and Opportunities. Community College Journal,

August/September 2005, 16-19.

Baime, D. & Mullin, C. (2010) Pell Power. Community College Journal, April/May 2010, 38-42.

Bettinger, E., Long, B. T., Oreopoulos, P., & Sanbonmatsu, L. (2012). The Role of Application

Assistance and Information in College Decisions: Results from the H&R Block FAFSA

Experiment. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 1205-1242. doi: 10.1093/qje/qjs017

Bergeron, D. (2012, April 16). Acceptable Documentation for Verification. Information for

Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP), (DCL ID: GEN-12-07). Retrieved from

http://ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/GEN1207.html

Clery, S. (2006). Do Pell Grants Make a Difference? Achieving the Dream, Volume 1 (Number

4), 1-3.

Daun-Barnett, N. & Mabry, B. (2012). Integrating Tax Preparation with FAFSA Completion:

Three Case Models. Journal of Student Financial Aid, Volume 42 (Issue 3), 24-45.

http://publications.nasfaa.org/jsfa/vol42/iss3/2

Davidson, J. C. (2013). Increasing FAFSA Completion Rates: Research, Policies and Practices.

Journal of Student Financial Aid, Volume 43 (Issue 1), 37-54.

http://publications.nasfaa.org/jsfa/vol43/iss1/4

Douglas, J. (2009, November 5). Overview of IRS Data Retrieval Process for 2009-2010 FAFSA

on the Web. Information for Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP). Retrieved from

http://ifap.ed.gov/eannouncements/110509OverviewIRSDataRetrieval0910.html

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Douglass, J. & Thomson, G. (2012). Poor and Rich: Student Economic Stratification and

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FAFSA Completion Among Low-Income Students. Journal of Student Financial Aid,

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IFAP Help: Glossary. Information for Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP).

http://ifap.ed.gov/ifap/helpGlossary.jsp

Kelchen, R. (2015). Financial Need and Aid Volatility among Students with Zero Expected

Family Contribution. Journal of Student Financial Aid, Volume 44 (Issue 3), 177-201.

http://publications.nasfaa.org/jsfa/vol44/isss3/2

King, J. (2004), Missed Opportunities: Students Who Do Not Apply for Financial Aid. American

Council on Education Issue Brief, October 2004, 1-14.

LaManque, A. (2009). Factors Associated with Delayed Submission of the Free Application for

Federal Financial Aid. Journal of Applied Research in the Community College, Volume

17 (Number 1), 6-12.

McKinney, L. & Novak, H. (2012). The Relationship Between FAFSA Filing and Persistence

Among First-Year Community College Students. Community College Review, Volume 41

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Tebbs, J. & Turner, S. (2005). College Education for Low-Income Students: A Caution About

Using Data on Pell Grant Recipients. Change, July/August 2005, 34-43.

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Appendices

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25

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