Help more students complete financial aid forms

FAFSA completion is tied to higher college attendance rates.

High school seniors who complete the FAFSA — the federal financial aid application — are more likely to go to college than those who do not, according to the National College Attainment Network. Experts say this is not solely because those students were already planning to attend college. Rather, when lower-income families learn about available financial aid, it can make college a more realistic goal. Completing the form also gives students opportunities to talk to school counselors about college.

“A lot of first-generation families don’t think they can afford (college),” Lane Glenn, president of Northern Essex Community College, said. “When they complete the FAFSA, they discover there’s Pell Grants, institutional resources, private scholarships.”

That’s the logic behind policies adopted by 13 states that encourage near-universal FAFSA completion. In Massachusetts, a bill pending before the Legislature would make FAFSA completion a requirement for high school graduation. While a graduation mandate may be a step too far, the underlying intent of ensuring as many students as possible fill out the form is a worthwhile goal.

This year is a particularly good time to pursue that goal. The federal government is rolling out a shorter and simpler FAFSA. But delays in developing the form mean it will become available in late December rather than Oct. 1, so students will have less time to fill it out.

In the 2022-2023 school year, 59.8 percent of Massachusetts high school seniors filled out a FAFSA, slightly above the national rate of 57.7 percent, according to the National College Attainment Network, making Massachusetts 16th among all states for FAFSA completion. The college access advocacy group estimates that Massachusetts high school graduates left $48 million in federal financial aid unused in 2022 because they did not apply for it.

Louisiana, which made FAFSA completion a graduation requirement in 20172018 (though students can opt out), ranked first with 70.9 percent of high school seniors completing the form.

Students from higher-income families are more likely than students from lower-income families to complete the application. According to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, between 2019 and 2022, fewer than 43 percent of Massachusetts’ low-income high school seniors (from families receiving state benefits or earning less than 185 percent of the federal poverty level) completed a FAFSA each year compared to more than 63 percent of higher-income seniors.

Education advocates say mandating FAFSA completion will raise awareness, pressure school districts to provide resources, and get more students to complete the form. But practically, no one wants to deny students a diploma for failing to fill out documents. Any mandate needs an opt out to accommodate students who are entering the military, lack legal immigration status, intend to pay full tuition, or have myriad reasons for not attending college or seeking tuition assistance. Tracking these forms creates unnecessary administrative hassle.

There are other ways to encourage FAFSA completion. Maryland requires school districts to help students fill out FAFSAs. California similarly puts the onus on districts to ensure FAFSAs are completed.

And most schools, presumably, want to help students attend college. Resources are needed to provide that support.

Glenn, an advocate for requiring FAFSA completion, said one lesson learned during the pandemic is in-person assistance from high school guidance counselors, nonprofits, and colleges matters. When these efforts ceased in 2020, there was a decline in FAFSA completion. Outreach by high schools and colleges through the summer brought the numbers up.

A state policy that encouraged high school guidance counselors to talk about college with each student would help. College officials can go into schools to provide information, as can counselors from nonprofit college access organizations like u Aspire. There is also a need to educate families.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education already partners with u Aspire, which runs free webinars for students and school staff on understanding and completing the FAFSA. The Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority has been running virtual and in-person FAFSA completion events for students with a marketing

campaign to promote available resources.

One way to expand efforts would be to offer districts grants to hire more college counselors and bring in college access organizations.

Since Louisiana instituted its mandate, Louisiana’s Office of Financial Assistance expanded the number of

FAFSA-related workshops it runs. Staff bring laptops into schools and help students fill out the forms, while parents can get help via email or phone. The office hosted an education campaign encouraging families to complete the FAFSA, and an online portal lets schools and districts compare progress in students’ FAFSA completion.

Let’s bring similar efforts to Massachusetts. — Boston Globe. December 10, 2023.