Scholars Urge Halt to Use of Aid Form

By JOSH KELLER

The federal student-aid system should be drastically simplified by eliminating a cumbersome application form and using basic information from tax returns to calculate eligibility for financial aid, two scholars at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government argue in a paper released last week.

In the paper, "College Grants on a Postcard: A Proposal for Simple and Predictable Federal Student Aid," Susan M. Dynarski and Judith E. Scott-Clayton say students should no longer