New Report Examines Universal FAFSA Completion Policies in Four States
By Maria Carrasco, NASFAA Staff Reporter
With over a dozen states creating universal FAFSA completion policies, requiring or strongly encouraging high school seniors to complete the FAFSA as a condition of graduation, a new report from EdTrust is examining what support schools need for successful implementation to help students access financial aid.
Currently, 14 states have implemented universal FAFSA completion policies for students, which includes Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, and Texas. However, Louisiana and New Hampshire have repealed these policies, citing concerns over student privacy and the creation of additional graduation requirements.
In this new report, the second in a series on universal FAFSA completion policies, EdTrust examines how universal FAFSA policies are being implemented in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, and Louisiana. EdTrust held in-depth interviews and focus groups with participants, including state officials, school counselors, and principals, to identify the key supports schools need to help students meet graduation requirements and access financial aid.
As EdTrust noted in its report, FAFSA completion remains strongly associated with higher college enrollment and persistence rates, which is why some states have opted in creating universal FAFSA completion policies – with the ultimate goal of getting more students to enroll and complete college, and receive the financial aid they’re entitled to.
While the FAFSA is essential for students to make college affordable, some still face barriers, including confusion about the application process, limited access to reliable information, fear of taking on debt, as well as insufficient advising capacity and support. As a result, EdTrust wrote, billions of dollars in available aid go unclaimed each year.
“Financial aid is essential to narrowing this gap, but access depends on both eligibility and successful navigation of the aid system,” the report reads. “The FAFSA is the gateway to federal grants, work-study opportunities, and federal student loans, and is widely used to determine eligibility for most state and institutional aid. Yet, despite the availability of significant federal aid support, many students do not complete the FAFSA.”
Drawing from in-depth interviews and focus groups, EdTrust makes five recommendations for state legislators, education agencies, and policymakers to support schools in helping students complete the FAFSA.
The first recommendation is that states should provide dedicated funding to support equitable implementation of universal FAFSA completion policies, including staffing, training, and outreach. Creating dedicated funding to support schools in implementing their policies will maximize its impact. EdTrust noted that Colorado has a grant through June 30, 2026, which gives funds to schools to hire more counselors, including college and financial aid specialists, provide training to existing school counselors, organize FAFSA completion nights, and more.
Additionally, when creating these universal FAFSA completion policies, states should consider creating an opt-out waiver for students who cannot or do not need to complete the FAFSA. Both Colorado and Illinois have an opt-out provision in their universal FAFSA completion policies.
Another recommendation is that states should adopt complementary college-access policies that encourage postsecondary enrollment and completion. For example, EdTrust notes that states can create universal FAFSA completion policies to go in tandem with direct admissions policies, which offer high school seniors preliminary admission to colleges based on their academic records. Already, Illinois and Indiana have direct admissions policies.
States could also create user-friendly FAFSA data dashboards to help school personnel track completion rates and target student support, a practice Indiana has already implemented. This dashboard would help states track FAFSA completion by county, district, and high school alongside college-going rates, EdTrust wrote. With this data, Indiana was able to focus outreach on the 32 counties with the lowest completion rates.
Lastly, EdTrust noted that these universal FAFSA completion policies are unlikely to meet their goals without clear enforcement and accountability. States should focus on creating accountability systems for schools, which have clear compliance guidelines for districts, establish timelines for progress on benchmarks, and include mechanisms for documenting opt-out waivers. Furthermore, states should avoid creating punitive measures that burden underresourced districts and schools.
“With deliberate design and sustained investment, universal FAFSA policies can serve as a powerful tool to increase financial aid access and expand postsecondary opportunity for students nationwide,” the report reads.
Publication Date: 4/8/2026
Vincent F | 4/10/2026 9:35:06 AM
@Amrmand R: I agree 100%.
Bronwyn G | 4/9/2026 12:22:47 PM
Very interesting article, loved hearing about perspectives from other States, especially as it relates to data privacy. For those States with FAFSA filing requirements, would having an opt out waiver also lead to data privacy concerns, (not to mention the time and cost in setting up and managing the waiver process, and determining who will own it)
Armand R | 4/8/2026 2:22:23 PM
"requiring ... high school seniors to complete the FAFSA as a condition of graduation" - this should be illegal.
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