Dive Summary:
- The U.S. Department of Education announced Monday that the FAFSA will now allow students to accurately reflect same-sex parents, beginning with the 2014-2015 version of the form.
- The FAFSA currently uses the terms "mother/stepmother" and "father/stepfather," requiring students with same-sex parents to omit one parent entirely or designate one as the "mother" and one as the "father," but the new version will simply read "Parent 1" and "Parent 2."
- Though small, the change is significant because it allows these applicants to accurately reflect their family structure and true financial need when applying for federal student aid.
From the article:
... This change mimics similar changes made at other federal agencies. In 2011, for example, the State Department initiated reforms to give passport forms a more gender-neutral parental designation. Doing so required minimal changes to federal forms while significantly enhancing the accuracy, fairness, effectiveness, and efficiency of government operations. ...