There are lots of options for motivated students to brush up their skills and demystify high-stakes exams like the SAT and ACT.

But when it comes to filling out the all-important free application for federal student

aid or FAFSA, many students and their parents find the process confusing and time-consuming

and every bit as fraught as college entrance exams themselves. For some families, the amount of

financial aid offered will determine whether young people can go to college at all.

From KERA in Dallas, this is Think. I'm Chris Boyd.

Four years ago, in response to decades of public frustration with the FAFSA process,

Congress ordered the Department of Education to make a number of changes, including simplifying the application

and clearing the way for more students to qualify for Pell Grants, which don't have to be paid

back. But the rollout of those changes has been slower than expected and plagued with

glitches. And now it's not just students who are stressing out about AIDS, but some colleges

that count on tuition revenue to keep their doors open.

Danielle Douglas Gabriel is National Higher Education Reporter for the Washington Post,

where you can find her coverage of the recent changes to FAFSA.

Danielle, welcome to think.

Thanks for having me.

Just to start, can you explain what the FAFSA is meant to do for college students and for colleges themselves?

Certainly. So the FAFSA is really a gateway to the billions of dollars in federal aid, as well as state aid and institutional aid.

It allows all of these stakeholders to get a sense of what a family's ability to actually pay for their education.

And oftentimes, it's most useful for students who really rely on grants and scholarships in order to fund their higher education pursuits.

How did the process work in the past before any changes were required?

It was a lengthy process. There were at least 108 questions on the form. Some of them were a bit

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