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FAFSA Completion Trends Show ‘Sunny’ Trajectory

By Hugh T. Ferguson, NASFAA Senior Staff Reporter

The high school class of 2023 is continuing to deliver positive FAFSA completion trends, thanks in part to state initiatives that are requiring students to complete the application.

The latest dataset compiled by the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) found that through February 10, FAFSA completion rates were up by 6% year over year and have steadily increased since November 2022.

Nationally NCAN estimates that 39% of high school seniors have completed the FAFSA so far this cycle.

FAFSA completions at public high schools serving high percentages of students from low-income backgrounds and students of color were also up by roughly 10% year over year.

According to NCAN, the big driver of these completion rate increases is California, which for the first time in a FAFSA cycle has required all in-state high school seniors to complete the form.

As a result, Bill DeBaun, NCAN’s senior director of data and strategic initiatives, found that California’s FAFSA completions for high school seniors are up 21.5% year over year.

Throughout the month of February, with the latest data coming in on February 24, NCAN found these trends continuing with 40.5% of the high school class of 2023 having now completed a FAFSA, accounting for 1,650,270 completions nationally a 5.7% change compared to last academic year.

The most up-to-date data on FAFSA completions will be posted on NCAN’s FAFSA Tracker page.

 

Publication Date: 3/8/2023


Vincent F | 3/9/2023 11:18:33 AM

"According to NCAN, the big driver of these completion rate increases is California, which for the first time in a FAFSA cycle has required all in-state high school seniors to complete the form."

Wait--what??? How is that even legal? As a financial aid director, I am a HUGE proponent of filing the FAFSA. However, forcing someone to complete it seems so wrong.

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