Applying for financial aid can be a complicated, time-consuming endeavor for students and their families. Fortunately, many state aid programs have taken strides to align aid applications to the form used for federal aid programs, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), making state aid more readily accessible. New conversations surrounding simplifying the FAFSA can lead to new efficiencies for students completing the process--but only if state-level stakeholders are willing to rework current alignments. This special report explores state alignment with the FAFSA and provides a synopsis of both federal- and state-level efforts related to FAFSA simplification. Research supporting the importance of timely FAFSA completion is briefly reviewed, followed by a synopsis of enacted state and federal level simplification efforts. The report discusses findings of a national survey and policy analysis of state-level reliance on the FAFSA. The results show that most state aid application procedures are highly aligned with the current FAFSA. Policy considerations intended to enhance collaborative approaches between states and federal policy leaders are presented. [This report was written with the research assistance of Liliana Diaz-Solodukhin.]