One hundred and eleven institutions of higher learning, including Harvard, have made changes to their financial aid instructions after the Democratic staff of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform alleged they were potentially misleading financial aid applicants.
In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne S. Duncan '86 in early February, Maryland Congressman Elijah E. Cumming expressed concern that many universities were not making it clear to applicants that the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE is used only for purposes of institutional aid, while the FAFSA is used only for determining federal aid.
The Committee’s investigation indicated that Harvard’s financial aid instructions informed applicants to fill out the FAFSA and CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE “without any explanation of use or purpose.”
Harvard’s Office of Admissions and Financial Aid made changes to its online instructions approximately a week after being identified in the report to clarify the purpose of each form.
In another letter to Duncan on Monday, Cummings wrote that he was pleased that all universities cited in the initial letter clarified their aid instructions.
“The changes made by these institutions demonstrate a commitment to ensuring that students receive appropriate instructions when applying for financial aid,” Cummings wrote.