"Although the politically popular goal of financial aid simplification is getting more and more lip service lately, the reality is that financial aid applications and programs are likely to get only more complicated and frustrating, at least in the near future," U.S. News & World Report reports. "The Department of Education has already drafted the FAFSA parents and students will have to fill out starting next January, and - surprise, surprise - it is seven questions longer than this year's form. What's more, while Congress earlier this year ordered Spellings to simplify the application, Education Department officials say Congress also added requirements for new information that will probably mean even more FAFSA questions in the future about things like a student's foster care status, cooperative education earnings, and risk of homelessness."