Federal Student Aid

2010 FAFSA on the Web Tracker 

Questionnaire

Note: Items in BOLD will not be seen by respondent

Introduction 

You have received this survey as part of an initiative the United States Department of Education Federal 

Student Aid has undertaken to improve its customers’ satisfaction. Federal Student Aid is committed to 

continuous improvement and would like to ask you a few questions about your experience using the 

FAFSA on the Web site.

The survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. CFI Group, an independent research and 

consulting firm, is conducting this survey which is authorized by the U.S. Office of Management and 

Budget, Control No. 1845-0045. It is hosted via a secure server and your responses will remain strictly

confidential and anonymous. If you have any questions, please contact survey@mail.cfigroup.com.

Thank you in advance for your valuable feedback.

Please click on “next” to begin.

Home Page 

All questions on this survey pertain to FAFSA on the Web. All survey questions require an answer in 

order to proceed. Please select 'Don't Know' if you are unsure of an answer.

Please think about the FAFSA on the Web home page. This is the first page you see when you go to 

FAFSA on the Web. 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 application 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 for filling out the application

FORM2. The clarity of the questions 

FORM3. The ease of navigating through the application pages

FORM4. The ease of providing financial information

FORM5. Your ability to save and retrieve your application

FORM6. The clarity of the instructions for submitting the application

FORM7. The usefulness of the information on the confirmation page
FORM8. On average, how much time did you spend preparing to complete the FAFSA on the Web 

(Gathering documents like drivers license, bank statements, tax forms, etc.)

a. 0 – 15 minutes

b. 16 – 30 minutes

c. 30 – 60 minutes

d. Over 60 minutes

Help 

WORK1 Which of the following worksheets did you use prior to filling out the application online? 

1 FAFSA on the Web Worksheet

2 Dependency Status Worksheet

3 Both worksheets

4 None of the above (skip to HELP0)

WORK3 (IF Work1=1 or 3) Using the 1 to 10 scale where “1” now means “not at all helpful” and “10” 

means “very helpful”, how helpful was it to you to fill out FAFSA on the Web Worksheet prior 

to completing the application online?

WORK4 (IF Work1=2 or 3) Using the 1 to 10 scale where “1” is “not at all helpful” and “10” is “very

helpful”, how helpful was it to you to fill out the Dependency Status Worksheet prior to 

completing the application online?

Please think about the ways you could get help filling out the application online. These include online 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and help text; the 1-800 number, and the online Live Help. 

HELP0. When you filled out the application, which of the following types of help did you access? 

(select any that apply)

1 Online FAQs

2 Help text (i.e., the text you could reach for help on specific questions by clicking the “Need 

Help?” button at the bottom of each page)

3 1-800 customer service number

4 Online Live Help for customer service

5 None of the above (skip to PINAP1)

GHELP1 On a scale from 1 to 10, where “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent”, please rate 

FAFSA on the Web on the variety of the options for getting help.

(If HELP0=1, 2, 3, or 4) Now, please 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 informative 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 (either the 1-800 

number or online Live Help)
HELP6. (If HELP0=3 or 4) Were your questions resolved on your first contact with customer service?

1 Yes (skip to PINAP1)

2 No

HELP7. (If HELP6=2) What were the unresolved issues? (capture verbatim)

PIN Application 

Please think about the way you obtained and used a Federal Student Aid PIN to electronically sign 

applications and to access other Federal Student Aid web sites.

PINAP1. While you were filling out your application online, did you apply for or request a duplicate PIN? 

(select only one)

1 Yes, I applied for a new PIN

2 Yes, I requested a duplicate PIN

3 No, I already have a PIN (skip to PINUSE1)

4 No, I chose not to apply for a PIN (skip to ACSI1)

Think about the PIN application process. On a scale of 1 to 10, where “1” means “poor” and “10” means 

“excellent”, how would you rate...

PINAP2. The ease of obtaining the PIN

PINAP3. The turnaround time for receiving the PIN

PIN Usage 

PINUSE1. Did you use a PIN to sign your application electronically?

1 Yes

2 No (skip to ACSI1)

On a scale from 1 to 10, where “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent”, please rate...

PINUSE2. The ease of using the electronic signature process

PINUSE3. The ease of having your parents sign electronically

PINUSE4. The ease of using your PIN to access 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 the FAFSA on the Web process?

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 the FAFSA on the Web meet your 

expectations?

ACSI3. Imagine the ideal website for applying for federal student aid. How well do you think FAFSA 

on the Web compares with the ideal you just imagined? Please use a 10-point scale on which 

"1" means "not very close to the ideal," and "10" means "very close to the ideal."

ACSI4. How could the FAFSA web site better meet your expectations? (capture verbatim response)
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 (skip to OUTR1)

EXPE2. 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. In the past six months, have you registered a complaint with Federal Student Aid about the 

FAFSA application process?

1 Yes

2 No 

Closing 

OUTR1 Where did you find out about FAFSA on the Web? (select only one)

1 High School counselor /College/University

2 Family member or friend

3 Public library

4 Outreach/publications/college fairs/career day

 

5 Federal Student Aid Publications or Web site (please specify)

6 Advertisements on television, radio, public transportation or at the movies.

7 Other (please specify)

8 Don’t Know 

CLOSE1 In your own words, what could Federal Student Aid do to improve FAFSA on the Web? 

(capture verbatim response)

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