Lynn A. Westmoreland: “when a student decides to go to college, many families gather all their financial records and sit down to fill out the…”

“when a student decides to go to college, many families gather all their financial records and sit down to fill out the free application for Federal Student Aid, or the FISA, form. To be eligible to receive Federal student aid, a student must meet certain eligibility requirements. Importantly, one of those requirements is that the student be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen, basically, a legal permanent resident. They also have to have a high school diploma or a GED and be enrolled or accepted at a school that participates in the Federal Student Loan Aid program. Given these requirements, it would be expected that a citizen or legal permanent resident that is a high school graduate or GED holder and has been accepted as a student at an institution of higher education would be able to complete the FISA in English; however, the U.S. Department of Education clearly does not think so. I have a higher opinion of our education system than that, and I believe a student that meets these eligibility requirements will be proficient enough in English to complete this form in English. When I learned that this free Federal student application form is available for completion in either English or Spanish, I became concerned that others don't share my opinion of the capabilities of our education system.”