When it comes to filling out the FAFSA, Olakunle Orogbemi's engineering education does nothing to help him get through the form -- especially when dealing with the tax information.

"Everything else is fairly easy," Orogbemi (junior-petroleum and natural gas engineering) said, but "it's almost like you have to be a tax expert to fill that part out."

Orogbemi and other Penn State students may have an easier time filing for federal student aid soon if proposed changes are passed.

A shorter and more simple FAFSA form and an online tool for early forecasting of student aid are among legislation in the works that would improve "college access and affordability," according to a House Committee on Education and Labor press release. FAFSA -- the Free Application for Federal Student Aid -- is the form students use to apply for federal student aid. For the 2005-06 academic year, 51,000 Penn State students applied for financial aid.

Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, and Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., introduced the "College Aid Made EZ Act" on March 20. According to the press release, the legislation would cut the FAFSA from five pages to two pages and allow the Internal Revenue Service to share tax information with the Department of Education.

The plan may also improve the number of first-generation and low-income students attending college.

"The more [the form] is simplified it will certainly be a benefit to the students and their families because it is a complex form to complete," Penn State Director of Student Aid Programs Bob Snyder said. "In recent years the form has been filled out online and has cut down on the number of errors, but it is still a lengthy form to complete."

The complexity of the current financial aid form is often cited as a barrier to attending college.

"That's the big issue," Snyder said. "It is a very complex process, and it can deter many students and families from filling out the form."

A report released last year by the American Council on Education estimated that 1.5 million aid-eligible students, particularly low-income students who have a greater difficulty compiling necessary financial information, didn't fill out a FAFSA form.

Simplifying the form is also expected to save colleges money in verification costs. With data being sent directly from the IRS, financial aid offices nationwide could save about $400 million in verifying the financial aid documents families send in.

"It's too early to say what the form would look like, but we are hoping that families giving permission to IRS to give data will make [the process] easier," Snyder said.

The College Aid Made EZ Act also suggests creating a "pre-FAFSA" form. The U.S. Department of Education Secretary Margaret Spellings already released a new online tool called the FAFSA4caster on March 21 to give students estimates of financial aid awards earlier in high school.

Spellings' tool, already available in English online, will be available in Spanish on April 29.

Students can enter financial information on the department's Web site before their senior year to answer 51 of the 102 questions on the current FAFSA, which are then stored until the financial aid process is completed.

According to a U.S. Department of Education press release, the FAFSA4caster "provides students with an early estimate of their eligibility for federal financial aid."

Snyder said knowing the "expected family contribution" can help families plan to pay for college; however, the information on the new site is not entirely accurate because a student's financial situation could change.

At least one student said he thinks the FAFSA is fine for now.

John Lukowski (senior-civil engineering) said he filling out FAFSA online wasn't too difficult. All the questions are necessary, he said, because "you need to make sure you get all that information right."