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But the form to apply for federal grants is
By WASHINGTON POST
Published April 7, 2007
WASHINGTON - It's hard to find a college student who doesn't despise the FAFSA. The 101-question, eight-page form - short for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid - is filled out by 14-million students each year who apply for federal financial aid. But the questionnaire is so complicated that many others just give up and miss out on government grants. So Congress and the Education Department are moving to simplify the form and let students know earlier whether they qualify for aid, steps that officials hope will make college more affordable and accessible. "You should not need a graduate degree in engineering to figure out this application," said Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., who co-sponsored legislation introduced last month that would reduce the form to two pages. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings also unveiled a new online tool, FAFSA4caster, which will help high school students estimate how much federal financial aid they might receive. It is available at www. federalstudentaid.ed.gov. Experts estimate that 1.5-million poor students who qualify for federal grants don't receive them because they don't finish the form.
[Last modified April 7, 2007, 02:08:26]
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