Congress’s College Financial Aid Fiasco

Next to paying tuition bills, parents of college-age students dread few things more than completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, aka FAFSA. So it would seem to be good news that the Education Department this month is rolling out a new and supposedly simpler form. But government makes nothing free or simple.

Members of Congress from both parties have long complained that the FAFSA is unduly complicated and makes college less accessible. The feds use the form to determine student eligibility for Pell grants and federal loans. Many colleges use it to determine how much institutional aid to award students.