The New York Times: "To apply for federal aid, students need to fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which has 133 questions, including difficult ones like what is their parents’ total tax-exempt interest income. That’s just for federal aid, including work-study. Applying for state aid requires more forms. New York, for example, has 22 grant or scholarship programs with different applications. Added to this, students have to consider 4,400 colleges with different financial aid policies and then 10 times that number of private scholarships with different eligibility requirements and questions."
"To simplify the process ... a free platform, Going Merry, helps students find and apply for private scholarships, college financial aid and government grants, in one place. About 350,000 students and 7,500 counselors use the service. Along with applying for assistance, students can see what aid various colleges offer to students. Stanford University, for example, shows its commitment to meet the full need to students from historically underrepresented backgrounds. The University of Virginia highlights its same commitment to ensure that out-of-state students know about its financial aid as well as those in-state. Colleges can also feature particular programs."
"A number of sites make it easier to see what aid is available. MyinTuition, for example, provides an online calculator to give students a financial aid estimate based on six simple questions. Another start-up, Fair Opportunity Project, provides free college application and financial aid guides to every public school in America."