ARLINGTON, Va., June 13, 2005 -- The Industry Advisory Council's (IAC) eGovernment Shared Interest Group announced that FAFSA on the Web is one of five federal agency program winners for the fifth annual Excellence.Gov awards program, selected for demonstrating best practices in federal eGovernment implementations.

Pearson Government Solutions designed, developed, and operates FAFSA on the Web (www.fafsa.ed.gov) on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education's Federal Student Aid (FSA) office, as the tool students and their parents use to apply for federal student aid online.

As one of the "Top 5" winners, FAFSA on the Web was recognized for achievements in eGovernment based on the following criteria: the program's impact on the agency's ability to deliver on its mission; an effective adoption strategy demonstrated by measurable results; the incorporation of industry and government best practices related to adoption strategy; and the evidence of excellent satisfaction among stakeholders, participants, and end-users.

End-user satisfaction with the FAFSA on the Web service has been evidenced by the dramatic increase in the number of electronic applications submitted each year, now accounting for over 80 percent of all applications submitted.

Each year, almost 14 million students apply for over $70 billion in financial aid through programs administered by FSA. Prior to 1997, the FAFSA was a complex, paper-based form that took considerable time to complete and required a costly, labor-intensive data collection system to process. FAFSA on the Web enables students to apply for this aid over the Internet, reducing the number of paper applications and increasing the number of electronic applications. It allows students to apply for federal student aid via a secure, easy-to-use web site available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Since its inception in 1997, FAFSA on the Web has garnered numerous industry awards and/or recognitions in addition to the 2005 Excellence.Gov Award, including:

• A 2003 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) score of 86, higher than all sites measured in the E-Gov index (the Federal E-Gov average is 71) and surpassed only by Amazon.com (88).
• The E-Gov Pioneer Award in 2000 and 2004
• The E-Gov Explorer Award in 2001
• The Lycos Top 5% Award
• The IAC's Government Award
• One of the "Top 15 Best Federal Web Sites" by Government Executive magazine
• One of "10 Sites to Watch" by Federal Computer Week

About Pearson Government Solutions
With nearly 5,000 employees worldwide, Pearson Government Solutions, based in Arlington, Va., serves customers in the U.S. federal, state and local, and international government; higher education institutions and student financial aid entities; and the worldwide telecommunications industry. The company designs, builds, and operates solutions that optimize public sector entities' performance in delivering information, benefits, and services to their constituents. Clients include the Federal Communications Commission; the U.S. Departments of Defense, Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Justice, Labor, and Veterans Affairs; the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Pearson Government Solutions is a business of Pearson, the international media company. Pearson's primary operations include Pearson Education, the Financial Times Group, and the Penguin Group.

Contact:
Eileen Rivera
(703) 284-5674
Eileen.Rivera@pearson.com