Fewer high school seniors and low-income students completing FAFSA
EDITOR'S NOTE: A misspelled name has been corrected.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
According to the US Department of Education Office of Federal Student Aid, when compared to the same time last year, there has been a 10% decline nationally in FAFSA submissions by high school seniors.
Missouri ranks just above the US national average at 10.4% of high school seniors who have yet to complete their form as of Friday, according to the Department of Education.
"Last year at this point we had 1.5 million applications nationwide from high school seniors and about 28,500 applications from Missouri students," said Ed Pacchetti, Director of Customer Analytics for the US Department of Education.
Pacchetti said these numbers have changed this year seeing about 1.4 million applications from high school seniors nationally and about 25,600 applications from Missouri students.
Monday was the deadline in Missouri for priority consideration but it is not too late to submit. Students have until April 1 to submit the forms.
Colleges began to see these towards the end of November, when FAFSA applications opened on Oct. 1.
Through Dec. 9, according to the National College Attainment Network analysis of education department data, submissions were down nearly 22% from 2020.
"Typically events like "FAFSA Frenzy" are held to help families complete the forms necessary to determine financial aid eligibility," said Michelle Baumstark, Columbia Public Schools Community Relations Director.
Baumstark said the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development has organized this event, as well as Missouri's FAFSA Completion Project, which allows schools to receive reports showing the students that have completed their FAFSA.
CPS has a step-by-step process for students that may not know how to fill out their FAFSA forms.
With virtual learning and seniors lacking that in-person guidance from counselors, CPS has also set up a College and Career Planning Guide for students to have online resources for this process.
Submitting the forms before the priority deadline does increase the chances for students to receive money from programs, such as the work-study program.
The Office of Financial Aid is encouraging all students to submit forms as soon as possible to ensure the best chance of receiving financial aid.
This trend has also affected enrollment across community colleges.
As of the fall 2020 semester, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, nationally, community colleges were seeing a 9.5% decline in enrollment. Freshman enrollment was down 19% and underrepresented minority enrollment is down nearly 30%.
"As a department, we are working to increase FAFSA filing among both high school seniors, and current college students," said Jessica Duren, Assistant Commissioner for the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development.
According to the Form Your Future tracker, Missouri is now down 11% overall, compared to the national decrease of 10.1%.
Duren said, "Last fall we launched the Show-Me FAFSA Challenge to encourage high schools to promote FAFSA filing among high school seniors. Scholarships will be awarded to schools in several winning categories."
Pacchetti said, last week the department made it clear to colleges and universities that financial aid professionals on the campuses can adjust financial aid packages if families have experienced changes financially.
"We recognize that during a pandemic, economic circumstances are changing more than they would in a normal time," said Pacchetti.
