WASHINGTON, DC - In an effort to streamline the process of applying for federal financial aid to pay college tuition, the Obama Administration today proposed a timeline to implement U.S. Senator Jack Reed's (D-RI) measure to reform the Free Application for Financial Aid (FAFSA).

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced the federal government will create a new, shorter and simpler online FAFSA application that skips unnecessary questions and will let some families answer the remaining financial questions with IRS data. The Administration will also ask Congress for additional legislation to remove more than half of the financial questions.

"I applaud the Obama Administration for quickly adopting these measures and swiftly enacting a plan to simplify FAFSA and help millions of Americans apply for federal financial aid for college. Improving this system will put qualified students a few mouse clicks away from obtaining the financial aid they are entitled to receive," said Reed, who authored a key provision to the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, upon which Education Secretary Arne Duncan's plan is based. "Applying for college can be stressful. We should make the process of applying for financial aid as simple and streamlined as possible. These new measures will help make a sometimes daunting task less time-consuming and frustrating, and give more students access to critical federal loans and grants."

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which includes more than 100 questions about income and assets, is so difficult that some parents pay private companies to fill it out for them or just give up. According to estimates by the U.S. Department of Education, about 1.5 million students would probably be eligible for Pell grants -- which are for low-income families -- but do not apply.

"The economic downturn has caused a 12 percent increase in the number of kids applying for financial aid. By simplifying FAFSA we can ensure that more deserving students have a chance to get financial aid and attend college," said Reed, a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. "Improving this system is a smart investment in our children's future and getting our economy back on track."

Reed also created a pilot program in the Higher Education Opportunity Act signed into law last year that allows students to apply for financial aid in their junior year of high school to ensure that they are aware of the financial aid opportunities available to them so they can plan accordingly.