With just a couple of weeks to go before the state filing deadline, far fewer California high school students have completed college financial aid applications than is typical.
Applications from students age 18 and under are down from previous years. As of Feb 15, only 314,855 students under age 18 completed an application. That’s 27,522 fewer than last year and 22,313 fewer than 2019.
Overall financial aid applications submitted by California’s college and high school students are up compared to previous years. As of Feb. 15, 1,122,548 students had completed an application, that’s 58,953 more than last year, according to data from the California Student Aid Commission, or CSAC. But that increase is driven by current college and graduate students.
If you're a parent, you've probably heard of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or more commonly called FAFSA. It's the first step to getting financial aid for your college student.
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A class officer with a list of extracurricular accomplishments and honors courses, Aya Hamza like other applicants from low-income families nonetheless struggled to navigate the pandemic-year college admissions process. Credit: Aya Hamza
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Aya Hamza’s academic and extracurricular record at Coral Gables Senior High School near Miami should have made her path to college relatively effortless.
Instead, the process brought her to tears.
The crying came when the 17-year-old was trying to make sense, on her own, of the complex form required to apply for the financial aid she needed as the first in her low-income family to go to college.
Number of high school seniors completing U.S. financial aid form drops 10 percent; current students renew at healthy rates. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds seem disproportionately affected.
FAFSA could become high school graduation requirement in Alabama
Updated Feb 19, 2021;
The Alabama State Board of Education Thursday could soon require completion of the college financial aid application known as the Free Application For Student Aid, or FAFSA, for high school graduation.
In a 6 to 3 vote, state board members voted to adopt the draft regulation but will not take a final vote until the required 45-day comment period has expired. The change is expected to be voted on at the April 8 board meeting.
The graduating Class of 2022 would be the first to need to fill out the FAFSA in order to graduate. Students will have a way to opt out and still graduate, according to the proposal, pictured below.