Editorial | Cutting the fat

If Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings has her way, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will be a shadow of its former self.

Under Spellings's recently proposed plan, FAFSA would cut the number of questions it asks from over 100 to roughly 27. Students would also find out how much federal aid they qualify for before their senior year of high school.

We can't wait for officials to trim FAFSA's fat. If Congress is truly concerned about the affordability of higher education, it needs to simplify the form as soon as possible.

FAFSA - in its current version - doesn't just mean hours of frustration for families. Higher-ed experts have also argued that the 10-page behemoth dissuades lower-income students from applying for aid, since finding the required information can prove close to impossible. In 2004, an estimated 1.5 million college students who would have received aid didn't apply for it. Needless to say, it's ironic that the government's efforts to make higher education more affordable may have caused the opposite result in some cases.

Students aren't the only ones who save with FAFSA reform. One study found that the current process costs colleges $400 million per year.

Political leaders have talked about the benefits of FAFSA simplification for years now, and so far, it's been just that - talk. But Spellings's plan - if implemented - would serve as a major first step in simplifying the process.

Unfortunately, until then, more and more students will continue to discover the joys of pouring through federal paperwork.

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