New Facebook App Seeks to Simplify Financial Aid Process

Apr 6, 2011

"Cash-strapped college students will soon have another tool to help them track down financial aid dollars: Facebook. A brand new app set to debut on the social media platform this fall will analyze information on a user's profile page and then present a customized list of grants, scholarships, and other financial aid opportunities. The idea comes from recent University of Nevada, Las Vegas graduate Devin Valencia, who President Clinton announced on Monday as the winner of the "Get Schooled College Affordability Challenge." Clinton shared the news at his 2011 Clinton Global Initiative University summit, saying, "College affordability is an urgent issue that demands innovation and a fundamental rethinking of the ways students access higher education." Recent studies have shown that many students end up dropping out of college simply because they can't afford to pay tuition bills. Over two million students per year don't apply for their share of the almost $70 billion in available government financial aid. Two-thirds of students also say that the process of applying for financial aid is too difficult."Read more at good.is