The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation called Wednesday for a simpler way to apply for college financial aid, adding its voice to a growing chorus supporting an overhaul of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or Fafsa, form.

The foundation’s higher-education arm, which focuses on college completion as a driver of economic development, sees the paperwork required to apply for financial aid as an obstacle to that goal, said Dan Greenstein, director of postsecondary success.

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