In accordance with the Congressional authorization of Public Law 110-417, the Department of Defense is expanding the Military Spouse Career Advancement Account Program to provide $6,000 in financial assistance to spouses of active duty service members for education for any "portable" career.

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The New York Times recently reported that students are going to have a more difficult time this year finding scholarships due to the dwindling support of providers. Several nonprofit groups, such as the Fulfillment Fund, have reduced the amount of college scholarships available as well as intensify the requirements associated with earning the scholarships.

Senior Vice President for Government and Public Affairs at the American Council on Education Terry W. Hartle, is quoted in the article regarding the lack of scholarships stating, "The result will probably be a greater role for federal aid programs in supporting students, instead of private scholarship providers and state governments."

Grant programs are also taking a hit this year, the article reports. Pennsylvania, for example, has limited the maximum amount available to students this year by about $580 per resident. California is considering cutting a scholarship program that would "benefit hundreds of thousands of students."

While the amount of scholarships available is difficult to track this early on, Scholarship America, a non profit company that, "administers scholarship programs for about 1,200 providers", has reported that less money is available while applications are actually increasing.

A recent article in The New York Times reported that the Obama administration is attempting to make changes to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. A proposal for these changes will be announced in the upcoming week. One of the changes will seek to avoid redundancies by eliminating about 20 percent of the questions. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, is quoted in the article stating, "The FAFSA improvements will reduce the burden on the 16 million students and families who apply for federal financial aid every year and are designed to help increase college enrollment among low-income and middle-income students by making it easier to apply for financial aid."

Another proposed change to the form will be an automatic import of information from the I.R.S. to fill in the financial data from tax returns. For those applying for aid for this upcoming fall, this option will not be available because the tax returns that determine their eligibility will not be filed in time, the article reports.

"Confusing paperwork shouldn't stand between qualified students and a college degree," Representative George Miller states in the article. "Secretary Duncan has put forth common-sense proposals for streamlining the Fafsa."

The article also addressed the 1.5 million students who are eligible for Pell grants via the FAFSA who do not apply. One of the reasons for this is the current complexity of the FASFA which has as many as 153 questions. Other aid that is acquired through the FASFA are Stafford loans, Perkins loans, work-study programs and state aid, which could see an increase should the simplification receive approval.

A recent article in The New York Times reported that in the wake of the recession, many colleges are searching for ways to gain revenue in the previously quiet summer. Colleges are adding day camps, workshops, for-credit courses, film shoots and private parties to summer campus events and seeing profit because of it.

One of the colleges mentioned in the article was the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, which advertised a 20 percent discount on tuition for summer courses. The school has also begun offering a wrestling camp and a general-interest day camp. Another school, Hofstra University in New York, is offering workshops to downsized workers in which participants receive assistance with resumes and interview skills.

The article mentioned the additional upside of having a busy summer campus, noting that during student summer tours, students respond better to a campus with more activity. The article also listed the additional benefit of the programs noting, "A high school student who takes, say, a three-week screenwriting workshop might remember that institution when applying to college."

Summer programs and internships are popular ways in which high school students effectively use their time to become "well-rounded" applicants. Check out what one of our Senior college consultants has to say about them in this video.

The next edition of the Insider Edge will be emailed to subscribers on Wednesday, June 17.

This edition of our free, monthly newsletter will include these items:

• Finding 'The One': Tips for Compiling Your List of Target Schools
• Law Requires "Net Price Calculators" on College Websites by 2011
• Article Reveals that Only 53 Percent of College Students Graduate Within Six Years

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