Louisiana Students Rank Highest on FAFSA Completion

Once again, the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) has determined that Louisiana holds the top spot in the nation for the amount of high school seniors who have completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), according to the Louisiana Department of Education.

FAFSA is a free application that provides the federal government with the financial information needed to determine what loans and grants a student qualifies for. It’s the only way a student can receive federal funding. Included in the FAFSA are all forms of financial aid provided by the federal government, like Pell grants, federal student loans, and work-study programs. Louisiana graduates wishing to receive priority consideration for the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) scholarships must also complete the FAFSA. Aside from this, many colleges and states, and even private financial aid providers, use the information from FAFSA to determine eligibility for aid.

Despite how important the FAFSA is, an analysis of federal student aid data conducted by the National College Access Network (NCAN) estimates that over $3.75 billion of federal aid was left unclaimed by the high school class of 2021 across the nation, which is a direct result of not completing the FAFSA. NCAN estimates that 813,000 of the 1.7 million students who didn’t submit the FAFSA would have been eligible for financial aid, in particular Pell grants, if they had only completed the application.

According to Bill DeBaun, NCAN’s director of data and evaluation, many students think college is out of reach because they can’t afford it. However, they may not realize how much federal aid they qualify for and they won’t unless they complete the FAFSA. “Requiring the FAFSA for high school graduation puts it more prominently on the radars of district and school practitioners, and also students and families; it’s a clear signal states are sending that FAFSA completion is important, and also that considering a postsecondary pathway is also important,” said DeBaun.

 In light of how important the FAFSA is, Louisiana was the first state to make completing the application a graduation requirement. Since making this change in the 2017-2018 academic year, several other states have done the same. In order to graduate, seniors must complete one of four forms: the FAFSA, an opt-out form, a waiver, or a state merit scholarship form that requires no information about family finances.

 A completed FAFSA application isn’t just important to students; the information gathered from them is used to determine a significant amount of postsecondary funding. Because of this, Louisiana’s Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) runs monthly error reports on submitted applications. The reports can identify missing information so that the office can notify students of the errors and can then help them to fix them.

To make filling out a tedious and boring form more “fun,” some Louisiana state officials have turned the completion of the FAFSA into a friendly competition among high schools.  The state has taken to providing FAFSA workshops and seminars and have even set up tables to fill out the forms at various social events, like sports tournaments. Every month, the school with the most FAFSA gains is announced and those students have bragging rights until the next month’s winner is determined.

Getting students excited about paperwork isn’t enough though, so Louisiana provided trained staffers to guide and support school counselors. Louisiana also sent state workers from the Department of Education and the Office of Student Financial Assistance to all corners of the state to help with any events that might increase the amount of applications completed. They also held virtual workshops via Zoom during the pandemic.

All of this hard work paid off when it was determined that 66.5 of Louisiana’s Class of 2022 had submitted the form, the highest percentage in the country. This was determined by NCAN, who uses a tracker to count applications that are fully completed and processed. More completed applications mean more financial aid reaching the students who need it most.

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Louisiana Financial Aid Sets Precedent

Not only are Louisiana high school students once again setting a national standard, they are making a statement. Louisiana Believes reports that the Pelican State is currently being highlighted for its one of a kind financial aid policy. The Louisiana Financial Aid Access Policy was the first of its kind in the nation and is now serving as a model for other states that are looking to make sure all public high school students have equal access to a post-secondary education.

The Louisiana Financial Aid Access Policy requires all public school students in the state to take one of the following actions. Students must either:

* Submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA); or

* Apply for the Taylor Opportunity Program Scholarship (TOPS); or

* Submit an opt-out non-participation form (Students can also receive an opt-out form through the school system).

One of the aforementioned requirements, in addition to other standards, must be met for a high school senior to be eligible for graduation.

The Louisiana Department of Education also took steps to make sure that the policy is instituted effectively throughout the state. The state created the Louisiana Counselor Assistance Center. Louisiana also now provides statewide senior FAFSA completion rates within a given district. Lastly, the state offers various grants to its school systems for developing their own ways to directly communicate with parents on the top of financial planning for a student’s postsecondary career.

The state initiated the Financial Aid Access Policy because most of its high school graduates are unknowingly eligible for merit-based or need-based financial aid. FAFSA awards can be used at four-year universities, two-year colleges, and technical training programs. The FAFSA application estimates how much money a student’s family will contribute to a postsecondary education and then uses the information to determine student grants, work study eligibility, and how much a student will be offered in educational loans.

The Louisiana legislature passed the initial policy in 2015, which then took effect in 2018. Two states, Texas and Illinois, have already passed laws extremely similar to the one in Louisiana. The Michigan legislature is also considering a similar policy with Indiana and California in talks to follow.

Since the policy was instituted in 2018, Louisiana became number one in the United States of America for the amount of students that filled out and submitted the FAFSA. Louisiana is also number one in the nation for yearly growth in the amount of FAFSA applications. According to the National College Access Network (NCAN), 77.1 percent of Louisiana students submitted their FAFSA application by the priority deadline of July 1. This was a 25.9 percent increase from the year prior.

Louisiana’s increase made up 19 percent of the nation’s FAFSA completions.

This year was no different. 78.7 percent of students in Louisiana completed the FAFSA in the exact same time frame. This made Louisiana number one in the nation again for FAFSA applications completed by the priority deadline. This percentage is also a reason why more students from the Pelican State are enrolling in college more than ever before

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Louisiana Department of Education Graduation Checklist

 

As we get close to the end of the school year for thousands of Louisiana seniors, the Louisiana Department of Education has a special section on their website that you can find here that will help seniors apply for financial aid. As stated on their website, “Most Louisiana high school graduates are eligible for some form of merit- or need-based financial aid. Students can apply for state and federal financial aid by submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which can be used at four-year universities, two-year community colleges, and technical training programs. The FAFSA is used to determine the amount of money a family is expected to contribute to the price of attending a postsecondary institution, and the results of the FAFSA are used in determining student grants, work study, and educational loan amounts.”

If you are a senior and interested in finding out if you are eligible for financial aid, be sure to take a look at all you need to know about applying right here.