2016 FOTW survey

^{Federal Student Aid}

2016 FAFSA on the Web Tracker

Questionnaire

Note: Items in BOLD will not be seen by respondent

Introduction

The survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. CFI Group, an independent research and consulting firm, is conducting this survey on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, office of Federal Student Aid. It is hosted via a secure server and your responses will remain strictly confidential. If you have any questions, contact surveyhelp@cfigroup.com.

All questions on this survey pertain to FAFSA on the Web. All survey questions require an answer in order to proceed. Select “Don't Know” if you are unsure of an answer.

Thank you in advance for your valuable feedback. Click “Next” to begin.

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1845-0045. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 10 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions and completing the collection of information. The obligation to respond to this collection is voluntary. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this survey, please contact Federal Student Aid/Customer Experience Office/Customer Analytics Group at 830 First Street, NE Washington, DC 20202 or [email protected] directly. [Note: Please do not return the completed instrument, form, application or survey to this address.]

Home Page

Think about the FAFSA on the Web home page. This is the first page you see when you go to FAFSA on the Web. On a scale from 1 to 10, where “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent”, how would you rate…

HOME1. The ease of reading the home page HOME2. The clarity of the home page’s organization HOME3. Your ability to find what you needed HOME4. The ease of navigating to the right place

FAFSA Form

Now think about your experience filling out the FAFSA online. On a scale from 1 to 10, where “1”

means “poor” and “10” means “excellent”, how would you rate… FORM1. The clarity of the instructions

FORM2. The clarity of the questions

FORM3. The ease of navigating through the application

FORM4. Your ability to save, log in and retrieve your application

FORM5. The usefulness of the information on the confirmation page

FORM6. On average, how much time did you spend preparing to complete the FAFSA (gathering documents like drivers license, bank statements, tax forms, etc.)

a. 0 – 15 minutes

b. 16 – 30 minutes c. 31 – 60 minutes d. Over 60 minutes

Financial Information

Think about your experience with providing financial information on the FAFSA.

FORM7. When you filled out the application, were you provided with information about the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT), which allows you to transfer tax return information directly from the IRS into your FAFSA?

a. No, I was not provided with information about the IRS DRT (Skip to FORM 11)

b. Yes, I was provided with the option to use the IRS DRT but chose not to use it (Skip to FORM 8)

c. Yes, I chose to use the IRS DRT but could not retrieve my tax return information

(Skip to FORM 10)

d. Yes, I chose to use the IRS DRT, accessed my tax return information, and transferred that information to my FAFSA (Skip to FORM 10)

e. Yes, I chose to use the IRS DRT and accessed my tax return information, but did not transfer the information back to my FAFSA (Skip to FORM 9)

FORM8. Select the option that best describes your decision to not use the IRS DRT

a. I did not have or could not remember my FSA ID username and password

b. I recently filed my taxes and believed the tax information was not yet available c. I preferred to manually enter my financial information

d. Other (be specific) (capture verbatim)

(Skip to FORM 11)

FORM9. Select the option that best describes your decision not to transfer your tax return information

a. I preferred to manually enter my financial information

b. The tax data provided was not the information I needed to report on my FAFSA

c. Other (be specific) (capture verbatim)

On a scale from 1 to 10, where “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent”, how would you rate… FORM10. The ease of using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool

FORM11. The ease of providing financial information

Help

Think about the ways you could get help filling out the FAFSA online.

HELP0. When you filled out the application, which of the following types of help did you access? (select all that apply)

1 Help Topics

2 Help and Hints (for example, the text for help on specific questions)

3 1-800-4-FED-AID (customer service number)

4 Live Help - Web chat

5 None of the above (skip to FSAID1)

GHELP1 On a scale from 1 to 10, where “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent”, rate the help options you used.

(If HELP0=1, 2, 3, or 4) Now, consider the help you received. On a scale of 1 to 10, where “1” means

“poor” and “10” means “excellent”, how would you rate… HELP1. How useful the help was

HELP2. The clarity of the information you received

HELP3. (If HELP0=3 or 4) The time it took to answer your question

HELP4. (If HELP0=3 or 4) Courtesy of the representative who helped you

HELP5. (If HELP0=3 or 4) Hours of operation to contact live customer service help

HELP6. (if HELP0=3 or 4)What did you contact customer service about?

1. General information about the FAFSA and financial aid

2. Question about specific items on the FAFSA form

3. Using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool

4. Setting up or managing your FSA ID

5. Other (specify)

HELP7. (If HELP0=3 or 4) Were your questions resolved on your first contact with customer service?

1 Yes (skip to FSAID1)

2 No

HELP8. (If HELP7=2) What were the unresolved issues with customer service? Be specific. (capture verbatim)

FSA ID Management

A Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID) can be used to electronically sign applications and to access other Federal Student Aid Web sites.

FSAID1. While you were filling out your FAFSA online, did you set up an FSA ID username and password or retrieve an FSA ID username and password you had already set up? (select only one)

1 Yes, I set up a new FSA ID username and password (go to FSAID2)

2 Yes, I retrieved my FSA ID username or password (skip to FSAID3)

3 No, I chose not to set up an FSA ID username and password (skip to SUB1)

4 No, I remembered my FSA ID username and password (skip to SUB1)

On a scale of 1 to 10, where “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent”, how would you rate…

FSAID2. The ease of setting up your FSA ID (skip to SUB1)

FSAID3. The ease of retrieving your FSA ID username and password

Submitting the FAFSA

1. Did you sign/submit your FAFSA electronically?

1. Yes

2. No (skip to ACSI1)

On a scale from 1 to 10, where “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent”, rate… SUB2. The ease of using the electronic signature process

SUB3. The ease of having your parents sign electronically

SUB4. The ease of viewing your application information online

ACSI Benchmark Questions

ACSI1. Using a 10-point scale on which “1” means “very dissatisfied” and 10 means “very satisfied”, how satisfied are you with your experience using FAFSA on the Web?

ACSI2. Using a 10-point scale on which "1" now means "falls short of your expectations" and "10" means "exceeds your expectations," to what extent did your experience using the FAFSA on the Web site meet your expectations?

ACSI3. Imagine the ideal Web site for applying for federal student aid. How well do you think FAFSA on the Web compares with the ideal you just imagined? Use a 10-point scale on which "1" means "not very close to the ideal," and "10" means "very close to the ideal."

Outcome Measures

CONF1. Using a scale of 1 to 10 where “1” means “not at all confident” and “10” means “completely confident”, how confident are you that your information on the Web site is secure and that it was successfully submitted?

REPT1. Using a scale of 1 to 10 where “1” means “not at all likely” and “10” means “very likely”, how likely would you be to use the Web site to apply for federal student aid in the future?

EXPE1. Have you applied for federal student aid before?

1 Yes

2 No

EXPE2. [if EXPE1=1] How did this experience compare to the last time you completed your application?

1 This was easier

2 It was the same

3 This was more difficult

FSAPIN [if EXPE1=1] As a returning applicant, you may recall that the FAFSA on the Web previously required you to use a PIN for managing your application process. The PIN has now been replaced by the FSA ID username and password. Thinking about your experiences with both, would you say that the FSA ID username and password process:

1. Makes the FAFSA application processes easier

2. Is about the same as the previous PIN process

3. Makes the FAFSA application process more difficult

4. Not sure/no opinion

COMP1. [if EXPE1=1] Did the information provided throughout the FAFSA on the Web site (for example, graduation and retention rates, FAFSA4caster, and information provided within the application) help you make a decision about enrolling in college?

1 Yes (skip to OUTR1)

2 No (skip to OUTR1)

COMP2. [if EXPE1=2] Will the information provided throughout the FAFSA on the Web site (for example, graduation and retention rates, FAFSA4caster, and information provided within the application) help you make a decision about enrolling in college?

1 Yes

2 No

_Closing

OUTR1 Where did you find out about FAFSA on the Web? (select only one)

1 High School counselor

2 College/university admissions or financial aid office

3 Community Organization – such as the local community center, the Boys & Girls Club, or the YMCA

4 Family member or friend

5 Public library

6 Outreach/college fairs/career day

7 Federal Student Aid publications or Web site (be specific)

8 Advertisements on television, radio, public transportation or at the movies.

9 Other (be specific)

10 Don’t Know

CLOSE1 In your own words, what could Federal Student Aid do to improve the FAFSA on the Web

site? Be specific. (capture verbatim response)

Thank you for your time. Federal Student Aid sincerely appreciates your input. Have a great day!