2020-2021 FAFSA Survey -English

Federal Student Aid
FAFSA Survey 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. Your responses will remain anonymous and will only be reported in aggregate
form. If you have any questions, contact [email protected].
All questions on this survey pertain to fafsa.gov. 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 home page. This is the first page you see when you go tofafsa.gov. 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.
b.
c.
d.

0 – 15 minutes
16 – 30 minutes
31 – 60 minutes
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 (please specify below) (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.

I did not have the opportunity to confirm my information from/on my tax return.

c.

Other (please specify below) (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
2
3
4
5

GHELP1

Help Topics
Help and Hints (for example, the text for help on specific questions)
1-800-4-FED-AID (customer service number)
Live Help - Web chat
None of the above (skip to FSAID1)

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 (please specify below)

HELP7.

(If HELP0=3 or 4) Were your questions resolved on your first contact with customer service?
1
2

HELP8.

Yes (skip to FSAID1)
No

(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
2
3
4

Yes, I set up a new FSA ID username and password (go to FSAID2)
Yes, I retrieved my FSA ID username or password (skip to FSAID3)
No, I chose not to set up an FSA ID username and password (skip to SUB1)
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
SUB1. Did you sign/submit your FAFSA electronically?
1
2

Yes
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.gov?

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 fafsa.gov meet
your expectations?

ACSI3.

Imagine the ideal Web site for applying for federal student aid. How well do you think
fafsa.gov 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

COMP1.

[if EXPE1=1] Did the information provided throughout fafsa.gov (for example, graduation and
retention rates, FAFSA4caster, and information provided within the application) help you make
a decision about enrolling in college?
1
2

Yes (skip to OUTR1)
No (skip to OUTR1)

COMP2.

[if EXPE1=2] Will the information provided throughout fafsa.gov (for example, graduation and
retention rates, FAFSA4caster, and information provided within the application) help you
make a decision about enrolling in college?
1
2

Yes
No

Closing
OUTR1

Where did you find out aboutfafsa.gov? (select only one)
1
2
3

High School counselor
College/university admissions or financial aid office
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 (please specify below)
8 Advertisements on television, radio, public transportation or at the movies.
9 Other (please specify below)
10 Don’t Know
CLOSE1

Are you (the person completing this survey) identified as the?
1
2
3
4
5

CLOSE2

Student
Parent
Preparer
Other
Prefer not to answer

In your own words, what could Federal Student Aid do to improve fafsa.gov? Be specific.
(capture verbatim response)

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