Just mention the word “form” to me and I shudder with fear. Paperwork that involves providing financial information and answering lots of questions? Maybe I’ll clean my closet…

FAFSA: Funding for College Expenses

But seriously, if you’re going back to school, the FAFSA is too important an application to be as lengthy, confusing, and frankly, downright daunting, as it has been.

2 Interesting Federal Financial Aid Facts

• Last year, 1.5 million students who were probably eligible for the Pell Grant didn’t apply for federal financial aid.
• President Obama has proposed nearly $200 billion in new scholarships and tax credits for college tuition and Vice President Joe Biden is examining new ideas for college affordability through his White House Middle Class Task Force.

2010 FAFSA Changes: Online Form Improvements (at last)

Uncle Sam heard the call for the simplification of the FAFSA and responded with a modified online FAFSA for 2010. Highlights include:

• Technology allowing certain students to skip irrelevant questions.
• Instant estimates of Pell grant and student loan eligibility (which used to take few weeks!).

Have any of you early birds filed your FAFSA already? If so, could you share your experience with us? (Do you have any suggestions for further improvements?)

Help out your fellow formophobes and share your comments below! (Formophobia in the Urban Dictionary: n. Paralyzing fear, distress, and nervousness caused by the act of entering personal information into a pre-made template. Making simple tasks such as applying for jobs, school, etc. almost impossible for the affected.)