Federal student aid Web site revamped

A redesigned Office of Student Financial Assistance Web site is expected to net at least 6 million college loan applications this year, 2 million more than last year. SFA is the largest financial aid provider in the country. The agency guarantees, administers and collects loans to college students, and issues grants as well. In 2001, 8.7 million students got $54 billion in student loans through SFA. Over the years Congress has added new loan programs and SFA has created new information technology systems to service each type of loan, resulting in a convoluted mass of IT systems. In May 2000, SFA formed a partnership with consulting firm Accenture to modernize its dated and redundant loan servicing computer system. Six years ago, the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) came online, allowing students to electronically sign their loan documents and making the system almost paper-free. In January, Accenture and SFA updated the FAFSA Web site, which drew 4 million student users last year. "The upgraded Web site is more accessible with less downtime, and the forms are easier and quicker to fill out than before," said Steve Shane, an Accenture partner. With the new Web site, applicants can access worksheets to estimate their incomes, save an application at any computer and print a report generated by the application. The new site also has a security feature that stops applicants from submitting duplicate applications. SFA averages 20 to 30 million hits on its Web site daily, with 12,000 to 16,000 new visitors each hour. Since Jan.1 when the new site went live, more than 500,000 applications have been processed, a 78 percent increase over last year. "We are doing a higher volume this year at the same cost," Shane said, noting that Accenture expects a 50 percent increase in applications by students over the Web this year.