FAFSA Applicant Asked To Classify What 'Type Of White' She Is On Form

A FAFSA applicant says she was asked to specify her “type of white” while completing the federal financial aid form.

In a video widely circulated on social media, the white applicant appeared to scroll through what appeared to be a race-related section of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. The form prompted her to identify her race as White and then asked her to select a more specific category. Visible options include German, Irish, English, Italian, Polish, and French, along with an “other” option.

“When did this start happening?” the social media user asked in the video, adding that she had never before been asked to classify her whiteness in such detail on a government form.

According to publicly available information about recent FAFSA updates, the additional subcategories for applicants who identify as White were introduced during the 2024–25 application cycle as part of changes mandated by the FAFSA Simplification Act. The law was signed by President Donald Trump on December 27, 2020, as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, with implementation occurring in phases under the Biden administration.

The expanded race subcategories are optional and intended for federal demographic reporting, not for determining eligibility for student aid, according to reports. Applicants are not required to answer demographic questions to submit the FAFSA.

More changes have recently made to how demographic data is collected on the FAFSA. Earlier this month, the department announced that applicants will no longer be able to select “nonbinary” or “prefer not to answer” when asked to identify their sex. That change took effect immediately following an executive order signed by Trump on his first day back in office, which directs the federal government to recognize only two sexes.

The department hasn't specified how previously submitted FAFSA forms that included a nonbinary selection will be handled.

Social media users warned the TikToker about the dangers of the administration asking to specify "what type of white" she is on a federal form.

"It's y'all's turn, they're trying to divide-and-conquer again," one TikToker warned.

"Purity test.. also, we warned yall," another person commented.

"'This isn't a bad thing.' yeah America never discriminated against white people before we always welcomed the Irish and the Italians.... *sarcasm* historically this is a bad thing," a third person wrote.

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