First, please allow the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) to congratulate all of our members on an excellent Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion rate for the high school class of 2026! As of early February, they’re 36% ahead of last year’s class! We note that the class of 2026 had two additional months to complete the form, but we’re on track to break all kinds of FAFSA completion records. Keep up the good work!

On that note, it’s time to turn our focus to next year’s form. The Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) at the US Department of Education (ED) recently released the draft 2027-28 FAFSA and opened the comment period. NCAN is seeking input from our members as we compile comments; please use this link to submit comments to us, which we will then submit to ED. Organizations may also wish to submit their own comments through the required process - more details can be found here. The draft FAFSA and other supporting documents can be reviewed here. The deadline for submitting comments is Tuesday, April 14, 2026.

Information for submitting comments includes these instructions from ED:

The Department is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records.

NCAN asks that you submit your comments no later than Monday, March 16, so that we may review all the comments and compile a comprehensive set to submit to ED. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to MorraLee Keller, Senior Consultant, at kellerm@ncan.org.

We appreciate your efforts and ideas as we work to make the 2027-28 FAFSA better for the students and families we serve. Let’s break another record next year!

Read More:

• FAFSA Simplification Yielded 1.7 Million Additional Pell-Eligible Students
• Nation Stays On-Track for Record High FAFSA Completion in 2026
• Pennsylvania Becomes 14th State to Pass Universal FAFSA Policy

Reading time: Three minutes

Making it easier to apply for financial aid and simplifying the eligibility criteria results in more students qualifying for Pell Grants and other financial aid.

For more than a decade, the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) and its members have argued that a simpler and easier financial aid process would mean more students applying for financial aid, more students qualifying for aid, and in the long run, that means more students believing that college is possible for them.

We won that argument.

1.7 million more students were eligible for maximum Pell Grants in the 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) cycle - a 27% increase in total students eligible for the maximum Pell Grant, compared to the 2023-24 pre-FAFSA simplification cycle (see table 1).

We are seeing consistent positive trends when it comes to FAFSA and Pell Grant eligibility, with increases in total applicant numbers, recent high school graduate numbers, and significant increases in the number of students eligible for maximum and minimum Pell Grants. 

Recent high school graduates account for over 215,000 of the increase in max Pell eligible students, an almost 24% increase (see table 2). There is also still room for those numbers to grow, with five months left in the  2025-26 FAFSA cycle.

There is also an enormous increase in the number and percentage of students eligible for minimum Pell grants (see Table 2). For high school applicants, there has been an over 1,500% increase in eligibility for minimum Pell. The large increase in students eligible for at least a small amount of support, combined with the increases in the number of students eligible for the maximum grant is an incredibly positive change. 

The increase in students eligible for a maximum Pell Grant is at least partially the result of the changes to eligibility rules ushered in by the bi-partisan FAFSA Simplification Act that President Trump signed into law at the end of his first term. That is based on NCAN’s analysis of data provided by the Office of Federal Student Aid.  

“We are finally seeing the promise of a better and simpler FAFSA made real,” said NCAN CEO Kim Cook. “This year’s smoother process is helping to rebuild trust in the financial aid system with the students and families that NCAN member organizations serve every day, ensuring that more students will gain access to the Pell Grants that help make postsecondary education more affordable.”

The good news for Pell Grant-eligible students comes as college enrollment is reaching all-time highs. Encouragingly, students who grew up in ZIP codes with the lowest median incomes are enrolling at a higher rate than other groups of students, based on the National Student Clearinghouse’s fall enrollment report. These are exactly the students whose enrollment decisions can hinge on seeing their Pell Grant eligibility.

“College remains one of the most powerful engines of economic mobility we have, and financial aid access makes that opportunity real for students and families,” said Aaron Lemon-Strauss, Executive Director, FAFSA Program at the US Department of Education. “These results reflect not only improvements to the FAFSA experience, but also the extraordinary work of NCAN and college access professionals nationwide, who help students navigate the financial aid process to reach their higher education goals. We’re grateful for that partnership and excited about the momentum we’re seeing.”

Moving forward, the increased Pell Grant eligibility needs to be combined with continued efforts to encourage high school students to apply to and enroll in college. Hopefully that task will be made a little easier when students see there is financial support waiting for them if they apply and are accepted.

Making college seem financially attainable also means that the Pell Grant program needs continued support and funding.

Currently, the Pell Grant program is expected to receive level funding for the third year in a row, based on the fiscal year 2026 funding bills. As NCAN’s Louisa Woodhouse notes in her analysis of the funding bills, “a third year of level funding at $7,395 effectively erodes the grant’s value for students.” Thankfully, tuition and fees have remained steady, and even decreased on a net basis over the past few years. However, given the increases that students are facing for cost of attendance elements like housing and food, keeping the maximum Pell Grant flat is a cut in real terms.

Present concerns and our aspiration to increase future Pell Grant funding aside; the new data from FSA represents a real triumph for students and NCAN members alike. Our collective work means that millions more students are already benefiting from the decade-plus long project of simplifying and expanding the Pell Grant. 

Updated 02.09.2026 to add Table 2 and additional context to the increases in Pell Grant Eligibility. 

Read More: 

• Nation Stays On-Track for Record High FAFSA Completion in 2026
• House and Senate Release FY26 Appropriations Bill, Pell Max Set at $7,395 for Third Consecutive Year
• Pennsylvania Becomes 14th State to Pass Universal FAFSA Policy

Reading time: Four minutes

About 33% of the high school class of 2026 has completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) through the end of December 2025.

This year’s high school seniors are still on-track to set an all-time high for FAFSA completion. This exciting development is welcome news for National College Attainment Network (NCAN) members and everyone else who cares about students’ postsecondary futures.

FAFSA completion is highly correlated with college going, making the completion rate an important indicator of how current high school seniors are thinking about college.

Students and families continue to see the value of college, and are voting with their feet.

Along with increased FAFSA completions, college applicants and applications are up according to Common App, and postsecondary enrollment grew in fall 2025. The United States is building momentum towards more students obtaining the postsecondary education needed for long-term success in today’s economy. As students work towards their educational and career goals, they are benefiting from a FAFSA that makes applying for financial aid much easier.

The completion rate data comes from NCAN’s FAFSA Tracker, which is in its 9th year of visualizing FAFSA data at the national, state, and local levels. The Tracker uses the Federal Student Aid Data Center’s high school-level data on submissions and completions, which is updated each Friday.

More than 1.3 million high school seniors have completed a FAFSA as of December 26. This is 9.8% more FAFSAs than the class of 2023 completed through the end of December in the 2023-24 cycle. (The class of 2023 was the most recent to experience an October 1 FAFSA opening).

“We are finally seeing the promise of a better and simpler FAFSA made real,” said NCAN CEO Kim Cook. “This year’s smoother process is helping to rebuild trust in the financial aid system with the students and families that NCAN member organizations serve every day. Because of this excellent work, the high school class of 2026 may reach the highest FAFSA completion rate ever, ensuring that more students will gain access to the Pell Grants that help make postsecondary education more affordable.” 

The estimated 32.9% FAFSA completion rate for the class of 2026 is the highest NCAN has recorded by the end of December going back to the class of 2017. If the class of 2026’s performance keeps or exceeds its current rate and/or follows the pattern of previous FAFSA cycles that opened October 1, the United States could be on track for a national FAFSA completion rate of about 57% by June 30, an all-time high.

NCAN documents the current national record high by June 30 as 54.4%, a mark achieved by the class of 2018.

“College remains one of the most powerful engines of economic mobility we have, and financial aid access makes that opportunity real for students and families,” said Aaron Lemon-Strauss, Executive Director, FAFSA Program at the US Department of Education. “These results reflect not only improvements to the FAFSA experience, but also the extraordinary work of NCAN and college access professionals nationwide, who help students navigate the financial aid process to reach their higher education goals. We’re grateful for that partnership and excited about the momentum we’re seeing..”

Pushing Forward at the State Level

At the state level through the end of December, Illinois (46.6%), Tennessee (42.4%), New Jersey (42.2%), Massachusetts (40.5%), and Texas (40.1%) comprise the top five states by percent of seniors completing.

We have not yet reported year-over-year change for states given the late opening of last year’s 2025-26 cycle. We anticipate adding that figure back when the data for this cycle an last year’s begin to better align.

Students and families are benefiting from a FAFSA experience that is speedier, smoother, and simpler than previous years, with many students and advocates reporting a process that takes as little as 15 minutes end to end.

Looking ahead, state financial aid deadlines should continue to drive FAFSA completion. Texas, notably, has a January 15 FAFSA deadline for priority consideration. NCAN will continue to monitor the data from Federal Student Aid and update the FAFSA Tracker on a weekly basis.

NCAN maintains a full suite of FAFSA resources for the field, and we encourage practitioners in all settings to explore to find what’s right for them. Beyond this, we’ve also highlighted some promising statewide practices to help promote FAFSA completion:

• Scaling What Works: State Strategies for FAFSA Completion Success
• What’s Behind West Virginia’s FAFSA Completion Surge?
• UC San Diego Brings FAFSA Updates Direct to Inboxes
• Michigan’s Model for Statewide Financial Aid Engagement

Have questions about NCAN’s FAFSA Tracker or looking for a specific analysis? I’m happy to chat at debaunb@ncan.org.

Read More:

• Pennsylvania Becomes 14th State to Pass Universal FAFSA Policy
• Students Doing FAFSA Will Receive Warning if One of Their Schools has Low Earnings Outcomes
• NCAN’s FAFSA Tracker Returns as Nation Pushes for Record Completions

Reading time: Three minutes

---

In November 2025, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (D) brought together Democrats and Republicans to pass the fiscal year (FY) 2025-26 state budget. Included in the budget is language that requires high school seniors to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or to opt-out of doing so prior to completing high school. Ultimately, however, no student shall be prevented from graduating high school or be penalized for not doing so.

What's In the Policy?

As with all universal FAFSA polices, students and/or their parents or guardians may opt out of the requirement. The Pennsylvania Department of Education and Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) will work together to develop the opt-out form, which includes a statement of FAFSA eligibility, an understanding of the purpose of the FAFSA, a statement they’re declining to complete the FAFSA, and a statement that submitting the FAFSA is optional.

PHEAA will also be responsible for providing schools with information about who has completed a FAFSA, which will allow counselors to follow up with and support students who have not.

If a school determines that a student has neither submitted the FAFSA nor completed an opt-out form, the school must make a “reasonable effort” to contact the student’s parent or guardian and provide them with information about the purpose and benefits of completing the form. Once this occurs, the school will exempt the student from the requirement. The legislation specifically notes, “no student shall be prevented from graduating or be penalized by the school entity or nonpublic school in any way for failing to complete the FAFSA or opt-out form.” This commitment to not penalizing students for not completing the FAFSA or opting out similarly appears in other states that have implemented universal FAFSA policies and has become common in new legislation proposing these policies elsewhere.

Will it Work? Why Aren't More States Following Suit?

As of December 12, 2025, about 30% of Pennsylvania’s high school class of 2026 completed a FAFSA. This ranks the Commonwealth 24th among all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) typically finds that when a state implements a universal FAFSA policy, both FAFSA completion rates and state rankings increase. States with relatively low FAFSA completion rates pre-implementation see the most significant gains, while states with already medium-to-high completion rates experience more modest improvements.

Beyond FAFSA completion, research on the impact of universal FAFSA policies has surfaced important findings related to postsecondary enrollment. These insights from The Century Foundation (TCF) are particularly relevant for states considering adoption of the policy:

• Across Louisiana, Illinois, Alabama, Texas, and California (states that implemented a universal FAFSA policy prior to the class of 2024), the number of Pell Grant recipients increased by approximately 27,500 new students just one year after policy implementation.
• In terms of undergraduate enrollment, Louisiana, Illinois, and California exceeded national enrollment trends by 3.5 percentage points, 3.8 percentage points, and 5.1 percentage points, respectively.
• Although FAFSA completion rates are often (but not always) correlated with community income, TCF further found that the gap between high- and low-income districts narrowed after policy implementation or flipped in favor of low-income districts in five of the seven states studied.

Despite growing evidence of the effects of universal FAFSA policies, momentum at the state level has slowed. For example, four states implemented universal FAFSA policies for the 2024-25 school year. That same year, however, Louisiana and New Hampshire became the first states to repeal their policies.

The FAFSA remains one of the most powerful tools for expanding access to postsecondary education, unlocking billions of dollars each year in federal, state, and institutional aid that too often goes unused. Universal FAFSA policies help normalize completion, reduce information gaps, and ensure that students are not leaving financial aid on the table simply because of barriers to awareness or access. For states, higher FAFSA completion rates often translate into an increased uptake of federal dollars and stronger postsecondary enrollment outcomes. As Pennsylvania joins a small but mighty group of states to adopt a universal FAFSA policy, its implementation and outcomes will offer valuable lessons for how policy, practice, and collaboration can better support students in their postsecondary pathways after high school.

Image source: Digging Deeper into Universal FAFSA Impacts in Four States

Read More:

• Students Doing FAFSA Will Receive Warning if One of Their Schools has Low Earnings Outcomes
• NCAN’s FAFSA Tracker Returns as Nation Pushes for Record Completions
• College Costs Continue to Decline, According to Latest College Price Report

This week, the US Department of Education (ED) announced an update to the information students receive on their FAFSA Submission Summary. Students will now receive a notification if they have sent their FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, information to a school where the median earnings of graduates are less than someone with a high school diploma only.

The unspoken story with this change, is that almost 98% of students attend a college or university where graduates earn more than someone with only a high school diploma four years after graduating. The reality is that for most students, college remains the surest path to economic security. 

Hopefully, this new information will help students decide whether institutions they are considering will provide them with the economic future they are seeking.

The new low earnings indicator will be included from now on for first-time undergraduate FAFSA filers. The update is part of ED's transparency efforts, aimed at helping students with their educational choices. The indicator will show students how their choices translate to real-world earnings. Earnings are not the only factor students and families should consider when making choices about where to go to college. Families and students should utilize all the resources and information available to them in making the final selection.

The low earnings indicator identifies schools where graduates’ median earnings are lower than those of typical high school graduates in the same state, four years post-graduation. For schools that primarily serve out of state students, the earnings comparison is to high school graduates nationally.

ED is using College Scorecard data to determine which schools are flagged with the low earnings indicator. College scorecard data is readily available to the public, so that students and families can use it for their own research.

The master roster of all colleges, and the designation as low earnings or not, can be found in the FSA Data Center. While there are approximately 1,200 colleges with the low indicator, a very small percentage (2-3%) of students are enrolled at these colleges.

Students who filed their FAFSA prior to December 7 will see the new indicator if they log into their FAFSA Submission Summary. Students who selected any of these schools will see the yellow box below. When they click on the box, students will be provided with additional information about those schools and can update their list if they desire.

Students and families should utilize this new information and other resources available to help make an informed decision about pursuing a postsecondary education. 

Read More:

• NCAN’s FAFSA Tracker Returns as Nation Pushes for Record Completions
• College Costs Continue to Decline, According to Latest College Price Report
• Enhancements Coming to StudentAid.Gov Accounts

Reading time: Four minutes

It’s truly the most wonderful time of the year. Yes, that’s right: The National College Attainment Network's (NCAN's)  FAFSA Tracker is back and ready to document high school seniors’ Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completions as the United States aims for a record number of high school seniors completing the form.

Coming on the heels of a nearly 18% bounceback from the class of 2025, the class of 2026 is enjoying an opening before October 1 and a substantially simplified process that has NCAN members reporting students they help with the financial aid process are completing their applications in about 15 minutes.

There have already been more than a million FAFSAs completed by the high school class of 2026! FAFSA completions from class of 2026 seniors are currently up 11.7% nationwide through November 21. This is compared to the high school class of 2023, which was the last class with an October 1 FAFSA opening.

This data comes from NCAN’s FAFSA Tracker, which returns for its ninth year of visualizing FAFSA data at the national, state, and local levels. The Tracker uses the Federal Student Aid Data Center’s high school-level data on submissions and completions, which is updated each Friday.

In the early data, Illinois, New Jersey, and Tennessee are the leading by estimated percent of class of 2026 seniors completing a FAFSA. NCAN will monitor states throughout the cycle as they jockey for top honors.

We will also rank states according to their year-over-year growth in the number of FAFSAs completed. Those rankings will become available to states in a couple of weeks once we have same-date comparisons to last cycle.

It’s an important year for the FAFSA. The 54% FAFSA completion rate achieved by class of 2025 by the end of June marked a return to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels of FAFSA completion. The combination of a streamlined and more effective process, as well as an early FAFSA opening means we are well-positioned to set a record for FAFSA completions by high school seniors!

In addition to eagerly hoping for a record breaking year, NCAN continues to watch states who have implemented universal FAFSA to see how their performance progresses. For the first time since 2020, no state is implementing a universal FAFSA policy for the first time this year. However, nine states currently have a policy requiring FAFSA completion for high school graduation. (Alabama, California, Indiana, Illinois, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, and Texas.)

NCAN maintains a full suite of FAFSA resources for the field, and we encourage practitioners in all settings to explore to find what’s right for them. Beyond this, we’ve also highlighted some promising statewide practices to help promote FAFSA completion:

• Scaling What Works: State Strategies for FAFSA Completion Success
• What’s Behind West Virginia’s FAFSA Completion Surge?
• UC San Diego Brings FAFSA Updates Direct to Inboxes
• Michigan’s Model for Statewide Financial Aid Engagement

Some notes on the various visualizations in NCAN’s FAFSA Tracker follow below. Have questions or concerns? I’m happy to chat at debaunb@ncan.org.

FAFSA Tracker Notes

At present the FAFSA Tracker offers six tabs, each with a different way of looking at these data:

• The Home Page offers national-level data on percent change and percent of seniors completing as well as state-level rankings by these two metrics.
• The Completions Lookup Table displays the number of FAFSA completions at the state, Congressional district, county, city, district, or high school level for the high school classes of 2025 and 2026 by most recent date of the current cycle. If your high school does not appear, try setting district to “Null” and try again. Please email debaunb@ncan.org if you see something amiss, and we will work to fix the district-school connection moving forward. Note that all private high schools should set district to “Null.”
• State Profile includes state-level data on percent change and percent of seniors completing as well as state-level year-over-year change and percent of seniors completing estimates by high school categories (income, percent of students of color, and geography). This page also includes city, district, and school level year-over-year change.
• The US Heat Map displays estimated percent of seniors completing or year-over-year percent change at the state-level.
• Line Chart by Cycle harnesses NCAN’s longitudinal data on FAFSA completion and offers line charts on year-over-year percent change and the estimated percent of seniors completing for the high school classes of 2018-2026. This page includes national charts and a set of state charts that are adjustable by state.
• Bar Chart by Cycle allows users to adjust a date slider to see state-level FAFSA completion rates through a given date span across the classes of 2018-2026. This visualization is like Line Chart by Cycle but more customizable.

Read More:

• College Costs Continue to Decline, According to Latest College Price Report
• Enhancements Coming to StudentAid.Gov Accounts
• Scaling What Works: State Strategies for FAFSA Completion Success

Reading time: Two minutes

The College Board's Trends in College Pricing report, released this week, reveals that most public colleges have continued driving tuition costs downward. At both public four-year institutions and community colleges, average published tuition and fees remain lower than they were a decade ago. Even private four-year colleges - which saw a modest increase this year - are charging less than their peak rates and hover near decade-old levels.

Another way to see the change over time is to look at the index relative to 1996. In the chart below you can see that tuition and fees at public colleges have fallen to where they were in 2010-11.

The report also shows that published prices vary dramatically by state. For community colleges, average tuition ranges from $1,440 in California to $8,900 in Vermont. At public four-year institutions, students pay as little as $6,360 in Florida or as much as $18,090 in Vermont.

Net prices - what students actually pay - have also continued falling nationwide. At community colleges, the average net cost for tuition, fees, housing, and food has dropped to $9,660, the lowest level since the College Board began tracking this data. Public four-year institutions show similar progress: the average net cost of $16,200 has returned to pre-Great Recession levels from 2010-11. Private four-year colleges follow the same downward trend, with average net costs of $32,830, roughly half the published sticker price. These figures reflect costs for first-time, full-time undergraduate students.

It's worth noting that net tuition, housing, and food at public four-year colleges and universities is almost half of the published cost of attendance, which underscores the need for high-quality college advising, cost of attendance reform, and greater transparency in college costs so that students understand what they will actually have to pay for college.

Importantly, the report notes that the almost steady increase in grant aid, particularly in Pell Grants, has fueled this drop in net prices. At public two-year colleges, average grant aid almost doubled between 2006-07 and 2004-25 and since 2009-10, first-time full-time students have received enough grant aid to cover tuition entirely.

State and local governments have also dramatically increased their investment in higher education and made this progress cited in this report possible. “In the last 30 years, total state and local funding increased by 58% after adjusting for inflation,” states the report.

The implementation of the budget reconciliation act combined with macroeconomic pressure from tariffs, may arrest this trend in coming years, but for now, it’s good news for students. 

Read More:

• Enhancements Coming to StudentAid.Gov Accounts
• Scaling What Works: State Strategies for FAFSA Completion Success
• Updated FAFSA Guidance for Mixed-Status Families

Setting up a StudentAid.gov account (FSA ID) is often a stumbling block prior to students and contributors attempting to complete a FAFSA. The Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) has made improvements over the last few years to ease this process. Many of the enhancements in the last two years were focused on contributors who did not have a Social Security number (SSN), which greatly increased access to the FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Recently, Aaron Lemon-Strauss, Executive Director-FAFSA Program, shared some planned refreshes coming this December for the entire FSA ID account set up process. The changes were developed to:

• Make account creation faster and reduce error rates. Currently, the account creation process takes over 10 minutes.
• Reduce the abandonment rate. Approximately 12% of users who reach the final verification steps leave the process before completing.
• Reduce the volume of calls to the Financial Aid Information Center. Approximately 8,000 calls per month relate to creating studentaid.gov accounts.

Lemon-Strauss has shared the following key changes that are coming:

• Reduce the number of required fields from 23 to 12. This change would include removing the challenge questions, the backup code copy information and duplicate entry fields.
• Streamline the steps and copy presented, which would shrink the number of pages presented from eight to six.
• Verify email and phone numbers as they are entered. Currently this step happens at the end of the process and contributes to the abandonment rate.
• For those that wish the information to be presented in Spanish, offer the option at the start of the flow to eliminate any duplicate information needing entered.

FSA should be releasing updated screenshots in the coming weeks. The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) looks forward to these changes to ease the process of setting up an account and providing quicker access for those wishing to complete the FAFSA. We encourage organizations that develop materials to assist students and families with creating accounts to update their resources once the final changes are made public.

Read More:

• Scaling What Works: State Strategies for FAFSA Completion Success
• Updated FAFSA Guidance for Mixed-Status Families
• Data-Sharing Guidance for Scholarship Providers

Reading time: Five minutes

Every year, billions of dollars in federal aid get left on the table because students don’t complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). In states that require students to complete the FAFSA to be eligible for state aid, the FAFSA can also be a powerful tool that unlocks additional funds that help make the cost of college more manageable. Increasing FAFSA completion rates is critical to ensuring that students access the financial resources available to them to pursue higher education. In the National College Attainment Network’s (NCAN’s) recent webinar, How States Are Increasing FAFSA Completion: Kentucky & West Virginia, we heard from two state leaders who are taking steps to creatively and effectively boost FAFSA completion. Let’s recap what Brian Weingart, Senior Director of Financial Aid for the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, and Keith Ritchie, Assistant Director of Outreach Services for the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) had to say!

West Virginia: Building a Culture of Support and Recognition

The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission oversees all state financial aid programs, including the state’s GEAR UP program, and has made outreach a central part of its work. Through strategic partnerships with high schools across the state, West Virginia offers more than 200 FAFSA nights and workshops annually. Schools can request customized financial aid events via an online application, and the agency uses Eventbrite for RSVPs from students and families to gauge attendance.

West Virginia also leverages data to support targeted intervention. Student-level data helps counselors identify which students haven’t completed the FAFSA yet, but also helps spark friendly competition among schools to improve completion rates. Schools that excel receive banners and invitations to a luncheon at the state capitol, and students who complete the FAFSA, sign up for the texting program, and apply for state aid receive a special graduation cord.

Additionally, the state’s texting program provides “nudges” to students about key deadlines like standardized tests, and allows students to text back with questions and get connected to resources.

A major part of increasing FAFSA completion is creating a college-going culture from early on in students’ K-12 educational journeys. West Virginia embodies exactly this through statewide initiatives like College Application and Exploration Week, which introduces concepts about postsecondary education at every grade level. Goals range from learning local college mascots in elementary school to understanding cost of attendance and financial aid types in high school.

These efforts are driven by collaboration among teams across the agency, ensuring that once a student applies for state aid, they’re automatically looped into ongoing support.

Kentucky: Training, Incentives, and Targeted Outreach

The KKEAA has developed a suite of programs designed to make FAFSA completion more accessible and less intimidating for students, families, and the advisors supporting them. One of KHEAA’s hallmark efforts is the FAFSA Completion Challenge, a friendly competition that encourages schools to increase FAFSA completion, with the top performers (by total FAFSA completion or by year over year change) receiving funding to use for future college visits and events.

Acknowledging that guiding a student through the FAFSA can be daunting, the state has invested heavily in training partners across the state to assist students and families with the FAFSA. Over 300 community partners have already been trained this year, creating a strong network of informed advisors. Through these trainings, KHEAA emphasizes to counselors that they don’t expect them to be experts, but to know where to go when they get stuck given every student and family completing the form jumps through different hurdles.

The state also offers direct support through a FAFSA help line operated by KHEAA, giving families an easy way to get assistance when challenges with the form or general questions arise. Kentucky College Coaches, recent college graduates who serve as college advisors in 32 high schools with typically lower FAFSA completion rates, provide a human advising component that is nicely complemented by the many virtual supports available.

On the communications side, Kentucky has leaned into social media, using engaging reels and a line-by-line FAFSA walk-through video that garners 30,000–40,000 views each year. Alongside these digital efforts are targeted publications, including a comprehensive “phonebook” of scholarships available to Kentucky residents.

Insights and Lessons Learned

The experiences of Kentucky and West Virginia remind us that there’s no single formula for boosting FAFSA completion, it takes experimentation, collaboration, and a willingness to adapt. As one presenter put it, “Sometimes ideas flop. We test and roll them out when they work. If they work, we push them out statewide. We’re not reinventing the wheel. We figure out what’s already working.”

Both states also underscored the value of grounding outreach in data, real stories, and student choice. When students question whether college is worth the cost, West Virginia reminds students that 60% of associate degree graduates and 40% of bachelor’s degree graduates finish without debt, and community college remains free. Kentucky emphasizes the importance of autonomy in letting students choose a postsecondary pathway that will lead to positive outcomes given their interests and skills.

At the heart of Kentucky and West Virginia’s efforts are strong partnerships, clear communication, and consistent training. Their successes show that boosting FAFSA completion isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy, it’s about trying multiple approaches, meeting communities where they are, and adapting to evolving needs.

Does your state or community have a unique and impactful way of improving FAFSA completion rates that you think others should know? Reach out to Alessandra Cipriani-Detres (alessandra@ncan.org). We’d love to uplift your great work!

Read More:

• Updated FAFSA Guidance for Mixed-Status Families
• Data-Sharing Guidance for Scholarship Providers
• Ohio Proclamation Kicks Off FAFSA Cycle

As FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, completion season is well underway, the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) continues to hear questions about how best to support students from mixed-status families. We know questions remain about the privacy protections that are in place for FAFSA contributors without Social Security numbers (SSN). Although the Higher Education Act prohibits the use of data for any purpose other than determining and awarding federal financial assistance, NCAN cannot assure mixed-status students and families that data submitted to US Department of Education (ED), as part of the FAFSA process, will continue to be protected. We encourage our members and the field at large to advise students whose parents (aka FAFSA Contributor) may not have an SSN about the risks and benefits of submitting a FAFSA on a case-by-case basis. While the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) has confirmed that ED has not and will not share information that breaks the law, we understand many families’ confidence in this statement may not be as certain under the current administration.

This guidance covers two topics: first, it explains the changes to the 2026-27 FAFSA. Second, we share a few additional resources for supporting families with mixed-status backgrounds. Read on to ensure you feel fully equipped to support families through this year’s FAFSA process for the 2026-27 award year.

What’s different in the FAFSA process this year?

Students only need to enter an email address in order to invite a contributor, regardless of whether the contributor has an SSN or not. There is no more need for a student to match their contributor’s information (DOB, street address, etc.) exactly as appears in their StudentAid.gov account or on any official document. This change matters because a student can now invite their contributor more easily - with a simple email address and without matching any other information - especially when an SSN does not exist for said contributor.

Recommendations:

• Students should begin the form and invite their FAFSA contributor with an email address. Remember to check spam/junk mail in case the invitation email with the code ends up there.
• The code will also remain in the student’s studentaid.gov account where they can access it and give it to their parent, guardian or spouse at any time.
• FAFSA nights should include both the student and contributor, if possible. There is no longer a need for separate FSA ID creation workshops or sessions.

What’s not different?

Even though there is now instant, real-time matching for contributors who do enter their SSN, those without an SSN must still answer a set of unique questions to verify their identity. Also, as in previous years, all contributors without an SSN, including those with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) will need to manually enter their financial information.

Recommendations:

• Clarify to families of mixed-status backgrounds what information they will need to have, such as their filed income tax paperwork, or information they may need to start thinking about that could be on their credit report, such as previous addresses or employers, or vehicles they may own or have previously owned.
• Assure families they may also need to confirm the statement “I’m a parent or spouse of a student who is applying for aid, and I don’t have an SSN.” Assure them that the form is to see if the student is eligible for aid.

NCAN believes mixed-status families should make a thoughtful, well-informed personal decision about whether to submit identifying information to the federal government through the FAFSA. This guidance may be particularly relevant to mixed-status families who would be participating in the federal aid application process for the first time and have not otherwise submitted personal identifying information through any other federal agency such as the IRS We are confident that our members are equipped to have responsible and sensitive conversations and guidance for these families. Every family is unique, and we are proud of the work of all the knowledgeable and caring adults working to advise students through the financial aid process.

Finally, NCAN member ContigoEd has shared this resource we have found extremely relevant. While the context addresses the admission process as a whole, we found the framework can be applied to any advising/guidance process with mixed-status families.

NCAN believes in the transformative power of education and the incredible potential of these students who are US citizens and fully entitled to federal student aid. We will continue to seek out and advocate for policy alternatives that support higher education for all students.

Updates from ED (January 17, 2025)

Q: Can my or my contributor’s information be used for immigration enforcement?
A: ED is permitted by law to share information with other federal agencies for both civil and criminal law enforcement purposes. For example, if under one scenario a federal agency follows required processes to request information from ED (such as providing the request in writing from the head of the agency, specifying the information being requested, and specifying the law enforcement purpose for the request), ED may provide the information. ED reviews any such request to ensure it complies with all legal requirements.

While we cannot speak to changes that another administration might make, the Biden administration has prioritized protecting the privacy and data of those that create a StudentAid.gov account or fill out the FAFSA form, and we have not provided information for immigration enforcement purposes.

Q: Should I fill out my FAFSA?
A: Whether or not you should fill out a FAFSA is a decision that you should make with your family. It is important to note that, to the extent that you or a contributor has already provided ED with information when creating a StudentAid.gov account or previously filling out the FAFSA, ED likely still has that information. In such an instance, ED would only be adding updated information to the ED's systems (e.g., income information, change in address) were you to submit a new FAFSA. Moreover, any future changes to how ED's data are used or shared could apply to data already in its possession, as well as data it collects after the changes. 

Read More:

• Data-Sharing Guidance for Scholarship Providers
• Ohio Proclamation Kicks Off FAFSA Cycle
• FSA Shares FAFSA Successes and Policy Updates at #NCAN2025

Reading time: Three minutes

As many National College Attainment Network (NCAN) members know, the rules around sharing data submitted through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) changed with the implementation of FAFSA Simplification several years ago. Once the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) began importing most applicants’ Federal Tax Information (FTI) directly from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), greater privacy protections kicked into place, limiting the ability of colleges and universities to share student data with scholarship providers, college access and success nonprofit organizations, and even student support functions within the same institution of higher education (IHE).

While FSA has released guidance detailing what data can be shared and for what purpose, the rules are confusing. According to a National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) survey only 58% of respondents reported being willing to share federal tax information even with student consent.

We know many NCAN members that are scholarship providers have relied on student data, such as adjusted gross income (AGI), Pell status, and Student Aid Index (SAI) to award need-based grants in the past. To continue this practice, some adjustments may be needed, and relatively minor workarounds may make it easier to determine who qualifies for scholarships and how to select recipients. To that end, NCAN recommends scholarship programs:

• Require applicants to provide their FAFSA Submission Summary as part of their scholarship application: FAFSA Submission Summaries include students’ estimated SAI, which is a useful indication of financial need.  Students with an SAI below 6,655 are eligible to receive a Pell Grant, and the lower the SAI, the greater financial need the student has. SAIs can be as low as -1,500, and students with SAIs of 0 are eligible to receive the maximum Pell Grant award. FAFSA Submission Summaries are available to everyone who completes a FAFSA within 24 to 48 hours. Students are notified when their FAFSA has been processed and receive a link to their summary in their fsa.gov account. By requiring students to include their submission summaries with their scholarship applications, providers may be able to avoid the need to obtain FTI completely.
• Migrate to using SAI instead of AGI or unmet need when determining scholarship awards: Because IHEs may only provide students’ AGI when students have given explicit consent (and even then, schools may not be willing to provide this sensitive information), we recommend that scholarship providers stop relying on AGI for the awarding of scholarships. SAI is a strong approximation of financial need, and much easier for scholarship providers to obtain than AGI.
• Create a form that students can use to provide consent for IHEs to share their FTI: If a scholarship provider wants to use AGI or any other piece of FTI, we recommend that they create a simple template that:
  • Allows students to indicate the name of the college or university and check a box that says their FTI may be shared with the scholarship provider;
  • Indicates that the information being disclosed includes tax return information disclosed under Section 6103(l)(13) of Title 26 of the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the applicant;
  • States the purpose for which the information is being disclosed (applying for a scholarship);
  • States that the information may only be used for the specific purpose noted and no other purposes; and
  • Allows the student to sign the form and instructs them to submit it to the IHEs that they plan to attend.
    
    Some IHEs may require students to complete a form that is unique to their institution, but scholarship providers may be able to accelerate the process of data-sharing by creating a ready-made plug and play form that students can proactively bring to financial aid administrators.

Going forward, FSA is considering making two improvements that could make it easier for scholarship providers to receive the information they need. First, the agency is considering implementing real-time FAFSA processing. This means that almost immediately after submitting a FAFSA, students would receive a final (not estimated) summary of the federal student aid to which they are entitled, eliminating the 24-to-48-hour period. Students could then download and share this summary with scholarship providers without having to log back into their studentaid.gov account. Second, FSA is considering adding a “Send my FAFSA” button to the FAFSA form that would allow students to indicate directly on the FAFSA that they want their data to be sent to organizations beyond IHEs. Both improvements are on FSA’s to-do list, and we will let our members know as soon as they have been implemented. 

Read More:

• Ohio Proclamation Kicks Off FAFSA Cycle
• FSA Shares FAFSA Successes and Policy Updates at #NCAN2025
• 5 Free Tools Every College-Bound Student Should Know

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion by Ohio students has been a critical focus in the state for several years. Ohio’s Governor Mike DeWine (R) has issued an official proclamation to kick off the upcoming FAFSA season. The FAFSA is returning to its standard opening date of October 1 after several years of rocky years for rolling out the enhanced form. Ohio had over an 11% increase for FAFSA completion for the Class of 2025 over the Class of 2024. It is hoped that the state can continue to build on that momentum and see an even larger increase for the Class of 2026.

The Ohio legislature has invested a few million dollars to support FAFSA completion over the last several years through organizational and regional grants. The Ohio Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (OASFAA) offers free annual training to school counselors and access program personnel to ensure students have well-informed advisers to assist them. The Ohio Department of Higher Education has organized FAFSA efforts, administered grants, and done an excellent set of enhancements to the Ohio FAFSA Data Service for counselors to access student level data and the public dashboard - FAFSA by the Numbers - to help interested schools, districts and organization to monitor completion progress throughout the year.

The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) encourages all states to amplify the FAFSA completion message!

Click here to download the proclamation.

Read More:

• FSA Shares FAFSA Successes and Policy Updates at #NCAN2025
• 5 Free Tools Every College-Bound Student Should Know
• NCAN’s 2026-27 FAFSA Page: A How-To Guide

Reading time: Three minutes

Aaron Lemon-Strauss, Executive Director, FAFSA Program, and Kiera Mosley-Hobbs, Director, Policy Implementation and Liaison Group, at the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) presented last week at the National College Attainment Network's (NCAN) 2025 National Conference in New Orleans (LA). Their session highlighted the dramatic progress the agency has made in improving Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) functionality and raising completion rates over the last year and previewed some policy updates to come. The full slide deck from their presentation can be downloaded here.

The presentation kicked off with a fun audience quiz of key facts about FAFSA, including:

• FAFSA completion rates are up 8.6% compared with last year and 6.1% compared with two years ago.
• Oklahoma has seen the biggest percentage growth in submissions this year due to the implementation of universal FAFSA.
• The fastest someone filled out a 2025-26 FAFSA was 55 seconds.
• The average call center wait time is 12 seconds.
• 93% of FAFSA filers expressed satisfaction.
• About 5,000 FAFSAs have already been processed this cycle (2026-27).
• The most popular first name on the 25-26 FAFSA is Ashley.

The presentation also described two recent major changes to increase student success:

1. Contributor Invitation: The single biggest drop off point in FAFSA completion was the contributor or parent invitation process. FSA has reinvented the process to allow students to simply input an email address for their parent, guardian, or spouse, eliminating the need for students to know their parents’ Social Security number, date of birth, or email address. Once students enter an email address, contributors will be sent an email with a link and a code. They can either click on the link in the email or they can enter the code into the FAFSA and be taken directly to the student’s FAFSA where they can complete it.
2. Automatic Social Security Administration Match (aka “The NCAN fix”): FSA also eliminated the multiple day waiting period for verifying a StudentAid.gov (FSA ID) account, which many NCAN members referred to as a game changer. “FAFSA completion nights are back,” said FSA staff.

Lemon-Strauss also solicited feedback on how to prioritize additional improvements through a popular NCAA-style bracket game. He proposed seven areas the FSA team could focus on and asked the audience for an additional suggestion. The Final Four included: clarify confusing terms like SAI (student aid index), notify applicants when they have been flagged for verification, allow for real-time results and corrections, and make post-submission steps clearer. The overwhelming audience favorites were to notify students when they have been selected for verification (the one crowd sourced suggestion) and offer real-time results and corrections.

The presentation also provided a host of important policy updates. These included:

• The FAFSA has already been updated to reflect the changes in budget reconciliation bill to asset reporting and foreign income. No reprocessing or corrections will be needed.
• The race/ethnicity categories in question 12 have been aligned with the US Census.
• Students correcting 2024-25 or 2025-26 FAFSAs will have to update their response to question 11, which asks about a student’s sex and offers only male and female as answers.
• Data sharing rules have been updated to require student consent to share any of the following data: personal circumstances, dependency status, federal benefits received, financial assets, SAI, Pell eligibility status, and verification status.
• There will be an upcoming "Dear Colleague" letter that will clarify how Federal Tax Information and FAFSA data may be used concerning:
  • Application, award, and administration of aid
  • Research partnerships
  • FAFSA completion initiative
  • Means-tested benefits outreach
  • Aggregate reporting
• Students who are unaccompanied or homeless youth must self-report their status if they have a designation from an authorized entity. Otherwise, they will follow the same FAFSA path as a provisionally independent student.
• Second Chance Pell programs must submit applications to the US Department of Education (ED) to transition to Prison Education Programs (PEPs) by January 1, 2026 and be approved before July 1, 2026 to continue providing Pell grants.
• Resources, product updates, completion data and more from FSA are available here.

Questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out to me, Catherine Brown, at brownc@ncan.org. 

Read More:

• 5 Free Tools Every College-Bound Student Should Know
• NCAN’s 2026-27 FAFSA Page: A How-To Guide
• FAFSA Completions Bounce Back with Class of 2025, Return to Pre-Pandemic Rates

Preparing for college can feel overwhelming for students and their families, from managing applications and financial aid forms to keeping track of deadlines and making big decisions about their futures. The good news? There are plenty of free tools designed to make your college bound journey smoother, less stressful, and more organized.

Whether you're the first in your family to attend college or looking for resources to stay on top of the college application process. Here are five free tools every college-bound student should know before taking the next step.

1. Mapping Your Future

It’s completely normal to feel uncertain about your future or your academic and career goals. Exploring different pathways can provide clarity and help you better understand your options. This site facilities that process by offering tools and opportunities tailored to your strengths and interests, guiding you toward potential career and fields of study that align with your goals.

2. BigFuture College Search

BigFuture is a free college planning tool from the College Board that helps students explore schools based on academic interests, affordability, and admissions data. One standout feature is the ‘Reach, Match, Safety’ tool, which uses your Grade Point Average (GPA) and standardized test scores to suggest colleges that fit your profile, making it easier to build a balanced list and avoid undermatching.

3. Official Digital SAT Prep

With the recent rollback of test-optional policies, strengthening your SAT scores is essential to meeting the standardized testing requirements of the institutions you’ve identified through your BigFuture College Search. This resource has a digital curriculum to prepare you for the SAT Math and SAT Reading and Writing.

4. 12 Strategies to Writing the Perfect College Essay

Writing personal statements and supplemental essays is your chance to show the admissions committee who you are beyond test scores and GPA. These essays are opportunities to highlight your background, interests, and special circumstances (if applicable) to provide insight into who you are. Lead with authenticity and capture your reader’s attention right from the start with a strong hook!

5. 100% Need-Met Institutions:

The financial costs of pursuing a postsecondary education can be daunting, but exploring this map of institutions that offer need-based aid can help. Many colleges and universities are committed to making education financially accessible, which can make the difference between an overwhelming financial strain and an achievable investment in your future.

The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) and our member organizations are here to support students every step of the way on their journey to and through college. These resources are designed to serve as a helpful guide for college bound students!

Something all students and families should keep on their radar is the upcoming launch of the 2026-27 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), set to open October 1, 2025. Check out NCAN’s FAFSA page to get ready and stay informed about the upcoming application cycle. Together, we can ensure all students can pursue their postsecondary goals.

Read More:

• Meeting in the Moment: A Unified Framework for High Quality College and Career Advising
• Developing Self-Regulation Skills for College Going and College Staying
• The Balance & Benefits of Rigorous Coursework on Students’ Transcripts – Part II

Reading Time: Three minutes

The 2026-27 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is expected to open on October 1, 2025! This is every student’s chance to apply for federal grants, work-study, and loans to help pay for college.

Whether you’re a high school senior or returning undergraduate or graduate student, completing the FAFSA is a critical step in securing financial aid!  To help students, families, and postsecondary access and attainment practitioners navigate the process with confidence, the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) has consolidated a range of tools and resources into a single page designed to enhance the FAFSA completion experience. The NCAN 2026-27 FAFSA website will launch with limited resources and be updated throughout the fall to include the latest Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) updates.

Tools and Resources Available

NCAN’s dedicated page for the 2026-27 FAFSA offers essential resources to help both students and shareholders. Here’s a look at the available tools and resources:

1. Practitioner Resources: Access training decks, how- to guides, fact sheets, and infographics to help you explain the FAFSA process to students and families. These resources include tools from NCAN, partner organizations, and FSA, ensuring you’re up to date on the latest FAFSA information.
2. Awareness Toolkit: This set of outreach materials is designed to inform students, parents, and the broader community about the importance of completing FAFSA. Social media posts and messaging, available in both English and Spanish, can be used to raise awareness and encourage more students complete their FAFSA.
3. State Systems and Financial Aid: Every state has its own financial aid policies and deadlines, so make sure you’re prepared with state-specific resources. This section provides important information about deadlines, FAFSA completion approaches, and state aid opportunities.
4. FSA Resources: FSA offers a range of official tools, including guides to the FAFSA form, financial aid estimators, and help with creating a StudentAid.gov account (FSA ID). These resources are invaluable for both students and practitioners seeking to navigate the technical aspects of the FAFSA.
5. FAFSA Training Opportunities: NCAN and other organizations are hosting webinars throughout the FAFSA cycle. These training sessions cover important topics, from the basic FAFSA process to advanced tips for overcoming common obstacles.
6. NCAN’s FAFSA Tracker: This interactive dashboard tracks FAFSA completion rates across states, helping you monitor progress and identify where more support is needed. This tool provides critical data that can help shape your FAFSA outreach efforts.
7. Frequently Asked Questions: Have questions about the FAFSA? Well, this section provides answers to most common questions, from how to handle tax information to what happens after you submit the application.

With these resources, practitioners are equipped to guide students through every step of the FAFSA process, from understanding the form to submitting it on time.

Be FAFSA Ready Today

The FAFSA is an essential step for students planning on attending college, and with the right tools and resources, the process can be seamless. Visit NCAN’s 2026-27 FAFSA page to access valuable resources to start planning your student’s path to higher education. Additionally, the 2026-27 FAFSA prototype is now available and provides another asset for school and community partners to begin preparing students.

The FAFSA may feel overwhelming, but with these tools and resources, you can prepare your students and families for a successful experience!

NCAN 2026-27 FAFSA PAGE

Read More: 

• Could Financial Literacy Curricula Promote FAFSA Completion?
• FAFSA Completions Bounce Back with Class of 2025, Return to Pre-Pandemic Rates 
• What’s Behind West Virginia’s FAFSA Completion Surge?

Reading time: Four minutes

Through June 27, the high school class of 2025 completed 17.5% more Free Applications for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) than the class of 2024 did last year through the same date, equivalent to nearly 334,000 additional students applying for aid for the 2025-26 academic year.

The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) estimates the class of 2025’s FAFSA completion rate was 53.9%, compared to about 47% for the class of 2024 by about June 30 last year. That 53.9% is not only close to the class of 2023’s (the last cycle to open October 1) but also to the pre-COVID-19 pandemic classes of 2017-19.* The class of 2025 also recorded the highest number of FAFSA completions by about June 30 that NCAN has on record by about 60,000 students.

The findings will come as a relief to practitioners and policymakers across the country, following an extremely difficult 2024-25 FAFSA cycle which saw FAFSAs decline sharply last year. These findings also reflect a smoother experience for students and families and are also a likely signal of continued strong demand for higher education nationally.

Increasing FAFSA completions and expanding access to financial aid was, of course, the intention of FAFSA simplification. After a difficult 2024-25 cycle, the FAFSA process appears back on-track. Many students and families are reporting a smoother FAFSA completion experience. It’s a tremendous achievement that has been accomplished by a concerted effort from the field, including and especially NCAN members. Our collective nationwide goal for the class of 2026 should be to achieve an all-time high in FAFSA completion and then to push even further from there.

This year’s seniors returned to pre-pandemic levels of FAFSA completion despite having about two fewer months to complete the form. This cycle officially opened November 18, ahead of the scheduled December 1 launch.

All of this data comes from NCAN’s FAFSA Tracker, which examines high school seniors’ FAFSA completion rates at the national, state, and local levels using data published by the US Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) every Friday. June 30 is a date that looms large on NCAN’s calendar each year. It’s the date by which we usually compare FAFSA cycles to each other and measure national progress on this key college access milestone.

Notably and critically: the 2025-26 FAFSA cycle is not over and remains open until June 30, 2026.

The FAFSA’s bounce-back was widespread at the state level. Every state recorded a positive year-over-year change in high school seniors’ FAFSA completions through June 27.

The largest percent change came from Oklahoma, which recorded a whopping 49.4% increase over last year as it implemented universal FAFSA for the first year. Washington, DC, Nebraska (also implementing universal FAFSA), Nevada, and Mississippi round out the top five by year-over-year percent change.

By percent of seniors completing, perennial powerhouse Tennessee took the top spot at 66.2%. New Jersey (65.5%), Illinois (65%), Texas (63.6%), and California (60.9%) were the other top-completing states.

Long-time FAFSA Tracker observers will note the absence of Louisiana from the above group. This is the first cycle since the state repealed its universal FAFSA policy. Louisiana currently ranks 18^th among states at 53.3% and recorded the smallest year-over-year percent change at +0.5%. New Hampshire, which also repealed its policy after one year of implementation last cycle, had the second-smallest year-over-year growth at 6.6%.

Speaking of universal FAFSA, the policy continues to impact completions in adopting states. By percent of seniors completing, six of the top ten states, and eight of the top fifteen, have a universal FAFSA policy on the books.

In previous FAFSA cycles, NCAN has observed FAFSA completion gaps according to high schools’ income levels and demographic composition. The access provided by FSA is at the school level, not the student level, so we use schools’ characteristics to stand in for the characteristics of their enrolled students.

By school income level, low-income public high schools (where 50+% of students are eligible for free- or reduced-price lunch) had an average FAFSA completion rate of 50.3%, compared to 56% for higher-income high schools where less than half of students are eligible for FRPL programs. Looking at high schools by their percentage of Black and Hispanic students enrolled yields more encouraging results. High-minority public high schools that have 40+% Black and Hispanic enrollment had an average FAFSA completion rate of 52.1% compared to 51% for high schools enrolling less than 40% of these groups.

Looking forward, the strong FAFSA completion performance for the class of 2025 bodes well for college enrollment this fall. Historically, FAFSA completion and immediate college enrollment have been tightly associated. The field will be watching to see if that trend continues this year. Notably, last year 18-year-old freshman enrollment managed to increase despite steep FAFSA completion declines.

The 2026-27 FAFSA cycle will open on October 1. We should celebrate the class of 2025’s successes and momentum, but we shouldn’t be wholly satisfied by it. NCAN’s FAFSA Tracker data shows a historic ceiling around a 54% completion rate, but we needn’t stop there. Students, families, advisors, policymakers, and everyone else with an interest in students’ postsecondary futures should continue to push through and beyond that ceiling to connect students with the financial aid that can make their education after high school more affordable and achievable.

Have questions or want to talk more about NCAN’s FAFSA Tracker? Please reach out to me at debaunb@ncan.org.

* Figures in previous posts at NCAN.org may differ slightly given their usage of 10^th edition figures of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education’s (WICHE) Knocking at the College Door Project. NCAN’s 2025-26 FAFSA Tracker reflects the 11^th edition of this project’s data.

Read More:

• Could Financial Literacy Curricula Promote FAFSA Completion?
• What’s Behind West Virginia’s FAFSA Completion Surge?
• UC San Diego Brings FAFSA Updates Direct to Inboxes

$4.4 billion in Pell Grants were left on the table for the high school class of 2024. With cost consistently cited as the number one reason students do not pursue higher education, completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can be a game-changer, especially for students from low- and middle-income backgrounds who may be eligible for up to $7,395 in Pell Grants and even more in state financial aid.

Universal FAFSA is a policy that requires high school seniors to complete the FAFSA or an opt-out form as a high school graduation requirement. The policy continues to prove effective at raising and sustaining FAFSA completion rates in implementing states. However, only 13 states have passed a universal FAFSA policy, and Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Kansas have repealed their policies. While many nonprofits, community-based organizations, and advocacy groups have pushed for universal FAFSA policies in their states, these efforts often face legislative hurdles and fail to advance to the governor’s desk.

Recently, some states without universal FAFSA policies are pursuing a different strategy by incorporating FAFSA completion into high school financial literacy curricula. For example:

Mississippi: The state’s College and Career Readiness Course Curriculum includes financial literacy competencies, one of which focuses entirely on applying for financial aid. In this unit, students are encouraged to complete both the FAFSA and the Mississippi Aid Application. They also learn key financial aid terminology and are guided to research and prepare for external scholarships.

Iowa: Iowa requires school districts to ensure every student has an Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP). Beginning in 8th grade, students engage in a series of high-quality, career-related activities and experiences that provide a platform for students to engage in the development of self-reflection, career research and exploration of postsecondary opportunities, and apply and align their learning with their personal paths and goals.” In 2022, it became a requirement that school districts advise students on how to successfully complete the FAFSA as part of the ICAP process.

Florida: Starting July 1, 2025, a bill that was recently signed into law will embed instruction on completing the FAFSA within the required high school financial literacy course curriculum. The curriculum includes instruction on the “costs of postsecondary education, including cost of attendance, completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, scholarships and grants, and student loans.” Florida students must already “earn one half-credit in personal and financial literacy and money management” to graduate.

Colorado: Students will soon be required to practice filling out a copy of the FAFSA or state financial aid form through Colorado’s recently passed financial literacy course graduation requirement bill.

Louisiana: Louisiana currently requires high school students to complete a one-unit financial literacy course to graduate. The state is now trying to expand the curriculum to include the instruction of “scholarships, grants, and other financial opportunities to pay for postsecondary education” in its financial literacy curriculum.

Integrating FAFSA completion and instruction into financial literacy coursework is an innovative approach. Not only can it help students unlock federal financial aid, but it can also equip them with knowledge about paying for college and managing money.

While states that have adopted universal FAFSA policies see significant boosts in FAFSA completion during their first year of implementation, states exploring other avenues such as embedding FAFSA instruction in financial literacy courses may offer a promising alternative. College affordability continues to be a major barrier to students accessing postsecondary education, and innovative policy and programmatic efforts are more important now than ever. As Florida and Louisiana consider changes to their financial literacy curriculum, NCAN will continue to track their FAFSA completion progress through the FAFSA Tracker and share insights on what is working so that more states can help students access financial aid.

Read More:

• What’s Behind West Virginia’s FAFSA Completion Surge?
• UC San Diego Brings FAFSA Updates Direct to Inboxes
• Michigan’s Model for Statewide Financial Aid Engagement
  

Reading time: Four minutes

States have taken all kinds of approaches to statewide Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion efforts in recent years. Different combinations of statewide access and attainment networks, state agencies, districts and schools, and community-based organizations have all coordinated within states across the country to conduct outreach, provide FAFSA completion support, and ultimately connect more students with financial aid. Some states have passed mandates while others have put rewards like free community college at the end of the FAFSA tunnel.

West Virginia is having a remarkable year for FAFSA completion and has mobilized students and families through coordinated FAFSA completion practice across the state. West Virginia’s success and approach deserve attention from more of its peers in the field.

Related Reading: Eight Interesting Items from NCAN’s FAFSA Tracker Through Mid-April

Despite not having a universal FAFSA policy, West Virginia has climbed the ranks nationally for FAFSA completion among high school seniors. As of May 2, the Mountain State sits 15^th in the nation, with 49.8% of the Class of 2025 having completed a FAFSA. West Virginia has been as high as 10^th this cycle. Last year, the state never ranked higher than 17^th and was at 19^th by about June 30. That kind of improvement doesn't happen by accident, especially given that climbing rungs gets harder the higher states move up the ladder.

So, what's driving the progress?

We reached out to partners at the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (WVHEPC), and their answer was clear: It’s not a single initiative—it’s a well-coordinated ecosystem of support. Multiple interlocking strategies, all aligned with the same goal, are what’s moving the needle. Here are some of those strategies.

Statewide FAFSA Events Embedded into Outreach Strategy

WVHEPC’s Divisions of Student Affairs and Financial Aid have co-led hundreds of FAFSA completion events statewide this year. These aren’t just scattershot efforts—they're coordinated, accessible, and intentionally aligned with student needs and school calendars. Their event request system (cfwvconnect.com) makes it easy for schools and community groups to participate. Importantly, state agency staff lending a hand locally builds good will with school staff for other endeavors and increases capacity to serve students and families at events.

“WV FAFSA Day” Drives Visibility and Momentum

February 6 marked the second annual “WV FAFSA Day,” with over 50 locations hosting completion events. This focused effort helps normalize FAFSA as a milestone and gives it visibility beyond the school building. More than 50 K-12 schools and higher education institutions participated in this year’s WV FAFSA Day.

The WV FAFSA Day website offers an event toolkit, event registration, and social media posts for school and organizations to use. The value here is reducing the amount of reinventing the wheel being done – every district or school needn’t necessarily be making social media collateral of its own.

Gamification Through the CFWV Champions Challenge

To incentivize school-level ownership, West Virginia created the CFWV Champions of College Access and Success competition. Schools qualify by either meeting a 60% completion benchmark or improving by five percentage points over the previous year. It’s a smart use of behavioral economics: set achievable, public goals and reward progress.

Notably, Tennessee operates a similar endeavor through its Tennessee FAFSA Challenge. In that state, there are two ways a high school can earn FAFSA Champion status:

1. Increase their Tennessee Promise applicant FAFSA completion rate by five percentage points or more compared to the previous academic year as of the Tennessee Promise FAFSA deadline
2. Have 90% or more of their Tennessee Promise applicants complete the FAFSA as of the Tennessee Promise FAFSA deadline
   

Proactive Text Messaging Through TXT 4 Success

West Virginia students can enroll in text message nudging similar to what we’ve seen in other states like Arizona. The TXT 4 Success program sends timely, personalized messages about FAFSA and financial aid to seniors across the state. This low-cost, high-touch communication model helps close information gaps and nudge students to act.

Statewide Expansion of the 21st Century Scholars Program

Originally limited to WV GEAR UP schools, this program now reaches statewide and includes FAFSA completion as one of three requirements for seniors to earn special graduation honor cords.

The other two requirements include signing up for the aforementioned TXT 4 Success and applying for the West Virginia Invests Grant or the Promise Scholarship.

It's a small but powerful piece of social signaling that reinforces college-going behaviors.

Counselor-Focused Data Sharing and Communication

West Virginia equips practitioners with timely, usable data. Through a data portal, counselors can track which students have completed, started, or not filed a FAFSA. Weekly emails to superintendents and counselors include school-level completion rates. Through monthly statewide TEAMS calls hosted by the US Department of Education, WVHEPC delivers FAFSA updates, reminders, and resources directly to K-12 counselors.

None of these approaches is necessarily new to the field. That’s not a criticism, it’s an observation. Tennessee, for example, has put many of these puzzle pieces together for years (along with the Tennessee Promise).

But putting together all of the puzzle pieces above represents disciplined, collaborative practice from the WVHEPC and their partners. It’s K-12 and higher ed agencies pulling in the same direction. It’s facilitating tools and timely data for school counselors. It’s events, texts, dashboards, and honor cords—all working together to create a FAFSA-supportive environment.

The result? More students completing the FAFSA and hopefully getting the financial aid they need to take their next, best step.

West Virginia shows that with coordinated effort and shared accountability, states can build a FAFSA culture—and move the needle in a real, measurable way. Other states can, and should, take notes.

Want to talk more about statewide approaches to FAFSA completion? Reach out to me at debaunb@ncan.org.

Read More:

• UC San Diego Brings FAFSA Updates Direct to Inboxes
• Michigan’s Model for Statewide Financial Aid Engagement
• Three Outstanding (and Free) FAFSA Resources for Students and Families

Reading time: Four minutes

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion data can be powerful for driving students’ FAFSA completion outcomes, but those data must reach the right people in a timely fashion. The University of California (UC) San Diego is pushing that data directly to high school counselors’ inboxes. It’s a simple, effective, not time-consuming, and practitioner-centered approach.

And here’s the kicker: it didn’t take a major system overhaul or a statewide mandate to make this happen.

“We’re doing this because it’s incredibly important that high schools know how they are doing with FAFSA completion,” says Jim Rawlins, Associate Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management at UC San Diego. “Many seem to be unsure. If this means they don’t have the info or time to go look things up on websites, we’re bringing the core information to them instead.”

Sound familiar? It should. Tennessee’s Higher Education Commission has been emailing school- and district-level FAFSA data directly to practitioners for years. The model works because it respects the reality of schools: they’re busy, under-resourced, and juggling competing priorities. If we want FAFSA completion to remain top of mind, we must meet people where they are, and, even more importantly, not fall into a mindset of “well, the data are out there, they can find them.” Some will, but many won’t. Being proactive and putting the data right in front of them is key.

You, Yes You, Can Adopt UC San Diego’s Low-Lift, High-Impact Approach

What’s encouraging about UC San Diego’s outreach approach are the low barriers to entry and high possibility of replication by others. The university connected their existing Slate recruitment CRM (a list of high schools to which FAFSA completion data will be sent) to FAFSA completion data—downloaded directly from the US Department of Education’s public release. Then, using a simple mail merge and a high school contact list, they push updates to inboxes every few weeks.

“The hardest part was acquiring a crosswalk table between the NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) school IDs used in the FAFSA data file and the six-digit CEEB codes typically used in our other databases,” Rawlins explains. “Once we had that, it’s just downloading the data and merging it into outbound emails to each high school we had on file. A couple of us worked on the wording and invited feedback from key partners like NCAN along the way.”

Rawlins also surfaces a barrier that deserves attention: counselor contact data. “It’s easy to find lists of counselors at more affluent schools,” he notes, “but the schools where it will likely most help us to reach counseling colleagues don’t tend to be in those databases.” That’s a gap we, as a field, need to close. Still, this is a classic case of, “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.” And UC San Diego is crystal clear: they’re not doing this because it’s their job. They’re doing it because it helps.

A Call to Action for Higher Ed and States

Rawlins offers this advice to other institutions or agencies considering a similar effort:

“Combine efforts—while we’re happy to do this, we’d also be perfectly fine if we saw a state-level partner take it on for us. But if it’s you or nothing in your state, don’t chicken out—it’s easy enough!”

That kind of candid encouragement is exactly what this moment needs. FAFSA completions are up 60% year-over-year, but the FAFSA completion rate for high school seniors is still running a few percentage points behind pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels. Getting back to that level of performance, and pushing beyond it, will take more partners employing more practices like this to share the FAFSA completion data and get it in front of the practitioners who can use it to drive completion.

Lessons for the Field

If you’re a higher education institution, think about how you’re already communicating with high schools—and how FAFSA completion data could be embedded in those efforts.

If you’re a state agency, take this as a proof point: this work can be done at the institutional level, but your support could increase its scale and consistency and ultimately reach schools and school staff who might not otherwise see this data.

And if you’re a school counselor or district leader in California, don’t be surprised if an email from UC San Diego drops into your inbox with a FAFSA update—and a subtle message: We see you, we’re here to help, and this is how we support students together.

It doesn’t have to be complicated. Be more like UC San Diego and email FAFSA updates directly to school staff, we say. Sometimes all it takes is the decision to hit send.

Have questions about FAFSA completion initiatives or want to learn more? Reach out to me, Bill DeBaun, at debaunb@ncan.org!

Read More:

• Michigan’s Model for Statewide Financial Aid Engagement
• Eight Interesting Items from NCAN’s FAFSA Tracker Through Mid-April
• Keep the Momentum Going with NCAN's #DoTheFAFSA Campaign!

After a rocky rollout of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) last school year, FAFSA completion for the high school class of 2025 has surpassed that of the class of 2022! As sates continue to search for unique ways to increase FAFSA completion rates, Michigan’s new Ticket to Tuition initiative is an example of how creative incentives can expand college access.

The Michigan College Access Network (MCAN) and Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential’s (MiLEAP) Ticket to Tuition initiative is a $1 million investment to boost FAFSA completion. By engaging in the financial aid process, students will be entered to win one of 10 $50,000 awards and one of 40 $10,000 awards to help pay for tuition at a community college, university, or career training program in addition to room and board and living expenses. All students need to do is complete three steps to enter the sweepstakes:

1. Create StudentAid.gov accounts (both student and parent)
2. Fill out the FAFSA
3. Text CASH to 855-505-8425

MCAN’s efforts not only show an investment in supporting students’ postsecondary education, but a commitment to ensuring all Michiganders who want to pursue higher education can take advantage of the federal financial aid that could be available to them. Completing the FAFSA is a gateway to grants, loans, and in Michigan’s case, state financial aid.

The Michigan Achievement Scholarship is Michigan’s state financial aid program, which helps recent high school graduates receive funds for continuing education such as a college, university, or a career training program. Eligible students can attend community college tuition-free, receive up to $5,500 per year for a four-year degree program within the state, or receive up to $2,000 per year for up to two years to earn an industry-recognized certificate.

While financial investments in postsecondary education access like Michigan’s can be critical to boosting college-going rates, this is not the financial or political reality for many states. Beyond funding, the Ticket to Tuition program is a strong example of how states can:

• Use prizes to motivate students and generate excitement around the FAFSA.
• Share simple and straightforward messaging to encourage participation.
• Ensure students across the state (rural, urban, etc.) have equal access to and knowledge about the program.

The Ticket to Tuition program is a triple threat. By completing the aforementioned steps, high school seniors considering enrolling in a postsecondary education program are unlocking access to potential federal financial aid, the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, and the opportunity to win a Ticket to Tuition award. Sometimes, all students need is a little motivation and a reminder that there are funding opportunities available. For states looking to boost FAFSA completion and college-going rates, this may be a strategy worth replicating. 

Read More:

• Eight Interesting Items from NCAN’s FAFSA Tracker Through Mid-April
• Keep the Momentum Going with NCAN's #DoTheFAFSA Campaign!
• Through Mid-February, Seniors’ FAFSA Submissions Up 6%

Reading time: Seven minutes

At the time of this writing, the National College Attainment Network's (NCAN) FAFSA Tracker is updated with class of 2025 high school seniors’ Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion outcomes through April 11. The national FAFSA completion rate is an estimated 45.8%, compared to 29.2% for the class of 2024 a year ago. That increase stems from seniors having completed 60.6% more FAFSAs through April 11 than last year’s class.

As we head into May and look ahead toward the June 30 milestone, it’s a good time to look at some notable developments. Here’s eight of them.

1. It’s a big bounce back

Last year’s FAFSA challenges were well-documented. The bounceback is here. Seeing 60% year-over-year increases in the number of FAFSAs completed is eye-popping and unprecedented in the Tracker’s 8-year run. It underscores how depressed FAFSA completions were as of mid-April last year. For context, when we first got FAFSA completion data for the class of 2024 last year on March 29, the FAFSA completion rate was 27.7%. Through the same date this year, the class of 2025 had a 43% FAFSA completion rate, which was a mark that we didn’t hit last year until May 24. We’re still trailing pre-pandemic levels of FAFSA completion (roughly 54% of seniors completing), but a concerted effort could put us back in that range.

2. Week-to-week or date-to-date?

When we first got FAFSA completion data this year, date-to-date comparisons weren’t possible, so NCAN compared the classes of 2023, 2024, and 2025 through the same week numbers of their respective cycles. Through the 16^th week of the cycle, the class of 2025 had 13% more completions than the class of 2024 and 19.6% more than the class of 2023. Keep in mind these reflected three different dates; January 20 for the class of 2023, April 19 for the class of 2024, and March 21 for this year’s class. Starting with data through March 28, date-to-date comparisons became possible, and that’s what is reflected on our Tracker now.

3. Stronger recoveries for low-income and high-minority high schools

NCAN receives high school-level FAFSA completion data, so it’s impossible for us to look at FAFSA completion by student demographics, but we can proxy these by looking at the characteristics of the high schools enrolling these students. Through March 11, higher-income high schools, whose enrollment includes less than 50% students eligible for free- or reduced-price lunch (FRPL) have an estimated 48.6% FAFSA completion rate compared to 42.4% for high schools enrolling 50+% FRPL-eligible students. The FAFSA completion disparity is smaller for high schools enrolling less than 40% Black or Latino/a students (44.7% FAFSA completion rate) and those enrolling 40+% of students from these groups (43.9%). Notably, both low-income and high-minority high schools are seeing much stronger bounce backs as both categories are outpacing last year’s FAFSA completion totals by greater than 75%.

4. The bending of the FAFSA curve continues

Last November, The Century Foundation’s Peter Granville and I wrote about the bending of the FAFSA curve were observing according to household and community income levels. The “bend” comes from middle-income communities, which are seeing their FAFSA completion rates drop relative to the lowest- and highest-income communities.

We wrote, “The fact that the lowest-income communities have seen stronger FAFSA completion resiliency in the face of disruptions is an undisputed win—they will need aid the most to attend college, and the FAFSA form is the primary way to get it. But on the other hand, the data also tell a story of middle-income communities tracking downward.”

Through April 11, that bending from the middle class continues. The chart below shows public high schools’ FAFSA completion rates by their decile (10% grouping) of FRPL eligibility rates. High schools in the 10% FRPL eligibility band (highest-income high schools) have an estimated FAFSA completion rate of 54.2%. High schools in the 90% band (lowest-income high schools) have a 51.7% FAFSA completion rate. But high schools in the 40%, 50%, and 60% bands have FAFSA completion rates ranging from 37% to 45%.

This is a trend that continues to warrant attention from practitioners and policymakers.

5. California’s priority deadline had a huge impact in-state and nationally

Until about mid-February, California’s FAFSA performance was running well behind the national figure. And not by a little bit. On February 7, California’s year-over-year percent change in submissions through the same week of the cycle was -10.9%, and California ranked 50^th among states by this metric. On the same date, California ranked 28^th by percent of seniors completing.

California, as you might have heard, is a big state with a lot of students, so an underperformance of this size would have reverberations in the national figures.

However, from mid-February on it was like a switch got flipped. The priority deadline for FAFSA completion in California is April 2, and the leadup to that date showed a steep increase in year-over-year percent change, the percent of seniors completing, and California’s ranks for both. Through April 11, California now ranks 4^th nationally by percent of seniors completing and 6^th by year-over-year percent change in completions.

Phew.

6. Universal FAFSA policies showing positive impacts for new implementers

Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, and Oklahoma are all implementing universal FAFSA policies for the first time this academic year. NCAN has written a lot about universal FAFSA policies, so I won’t unpack all of that here. Let’s just look at how these four states are faring.

Oklahoma has nearly doubled (+98.7%) its number of FAFSA completions through April 11 this year, good for first in the country, but the state still only ranks 35^th by percent of seniors completing; after 52 weeks of the 2024-25 cycle, Oklahoma ranked 40^th. Nebraska’s FAFSA completions are up about 65%, vaulting the state into a 9^th place ranking by percent of seniors completing (up from 37^th through 52 weeks of last cycle).

New Jersey and New York were already 9^th and 11^th by percent of seniors completing last cycle, so hypothetically there’s probably a limit to how much a universal FAFSA could provide a further boost. Well, this is why we test hypotheses, I guess. Both states have improved their positions in the percent of seniors completing ranking. New Jersey has risen all the way up to 2^nd while New York currently sits 7^th. Both states have year-over-year completion increases greater than 60%, but so do 20 other states given this year’s rising tide.

Zooming out on universal FAFSA in general, six of the top 10 states by percent of seniors completing now have universal FAFSA policies, and Connecticut, sitting 8^th, will implement one.

7. Removing universal FAFSA policies, predictably, slows FAFSA completion

Prior to this cycle, we could look at the effect of adding a universal FAFSA policy on FAFSA completion, but this cycle we get a chance to see the effect of removing them. Both Louisiana and New Hampshire repealed their policies this year. Louisiana, of course, kicked off the trend for the class of 2018 and repealed its policy after an 8-year run. By contrast, New Hampshire removed theirs after just one graduating class.

Louisiana ranks last by year-over-year percent change in completions, despite that change being an increase of 29% (again, rising tide this year). Before the switch to date-to-date comparisons, Louisiana was running a 13% decline in a week-to-week comparison. This performance has moved Louisiana from its typical 1^st or 2^nd place ranking by percent of seniors completing all the way down to 28^th. For its part, New Hampshire has the second-lowest increase in year-over-year change in FAFSA completion, but has only slipped a few ranks by percent of seniors completing.

8. West Virginia shows the power of a coordinated approach

One notable riser up the percent of seniors completing ranking is West Virginia. When NCAN stopped tracking the class of 2024 last December, West Virginia ranked 22^nd, but now the state’s class of 2025 ranks 12^th by the same metric through April 11. It’s a big (and impressive) jump, although the state has room to grow to get back to FAFSA completion rates observed in pre-pandemic classes.

Reaching out to our partners at the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (WVHEPC), it’s clear that there are a lot of thoughtful, coordinated efforts to which we could point that would explain the impressive improvement to FAFSA completion performance. More on that in a future post, but for now time to give West Virginia its flowers.

NCAN’s FAFSA Tracker will continue to update weekly (usually on Fridays) and monitor the trends in the class of 2025’s performance. We’re building great momentum nationally, and in many states, so let’s collectively keep that up between now and when students cross commencement stages and even beyond.

Have questions about this post, the FAFSA Tracker, or anything else? My inbox is open at debaunb@ncan.org. Thanks for reading!

Read More:

• Keep the Momentum Going with NCAN's #DoTheFAFSA Campaign!
• Through Mid-February, Seniors’ FAFSA Submissions Up 6%
• FAFSA Sex Question and FSA ID Changes

As many of our members know, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process is now simpler, smoother, and more accessible than before thanks to changes brought about by the FAFSA Simplification Act, ensuring that more students than ever can secure the financial aid they need to pursue their college dreams.

Students are responding to the improvements made in recent years. According to the National College Attainment Network's (NCAN) FAFSA Tracker, completions for the Class of 2025 are running 5% ahead of last year’s pace. But we’re not done yet - we need your help to keep the momentum going!

We invite you to join NCAN’s #DoTheFAFSA campaign and help us finish the year strong. Since it’s inception last year, the campaign has reached millions of students nationwide – especially Pell Grant-eligible young people. By participating, you’ll play a crucial role in reaching this key demographic through trusted voices and digital engagement.

NCAN encourages you to share pre-drafted posts available in this social media toolkit. Content is available in both English and Spanish for Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and LinkedIn. Please also continue to encourage your students to complete the FAFSA, emphasizing that it takes as little as 10 minutes and is easier to fill out than before.

Click here to access tools and resources. Together, we can make sure more students access the financial aid they need and deserve.

If you have questions about this campaign or toolkit, please contact NCAN's Communications Manager Matthew Odom at odomm@ncan.org.

Read More:

• Through Mid-February, Seniors’ FAFSA Submissions Up 6%
• FAFSA Sex Question and FSA ID Changes
• CBO Predicts Pell Surplus Will Be Depleted This Year

Reading time: Four minutes

High school seniors sent college access professionals quite a valentine this year. Through February 14, Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) submissions for high school seniors are up 6.4% compared to last year through the same number of weeks; submissions are up 13% compared to the 11^th week of the class of 2023 FAFSA cycle. The year-over-year growth is an encouraging development as the field looks for a strong FAFSA completion performance that capitalizes on expanded Pell Grant eligibility and a more streamlined FAFSA process.

The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) estimates that 33% of the class of 2025 has completed a FAFSA, compared to 29.2% through the same number of weeks for the class of 2023. Comparison data on class of 2024 FAFSA completions won’t be available until the end of March given delays in processing last year. However, when those data first became available on March 29 last year, about 28% of seniors had completed a FAFSA nationally. The class of 2025 surpassed that figure on January 31 of this year, so current seniors are running far ahead of their predecessors.

“The increases in FAFSA submissions for the Class of 2025 are a testament to the hard work that our members and other caring adults in our field have put in to ensure that students and families have the support and guidance they need to complete this critical first step in their pursuit of degree,” said Zenia Henderson, NCAN’s Chief Program Officer. “It's also a testament to the resilience of our students and families who understand that the FAFSA can unlock the much-needed aid to make college more affordable for those who need it most.”

This data comes from NCAN’s FAFSA Tracker, an interactive dashboard using data from the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) released each Friday. The Tracker displays data on high school seniors’ FAFSA submission and completion outcomes at the national, state, and local levels.

Through February 14, 16 states and Washington, DC have seen their year-over-year change in FAFSA submissions increase by double-digit percentages. Washington, DC tops the list at 28.7% followed by Oklahoma, Arizona, Texas, and Nebraska.

By the percentage of the senior class completing a FAFSA, New Jersey tops the list at 44.5%, followed by Illinois, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York.

Notably, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, and Oklahoma are all implementing universal FAFSA policies for the first time this year. These four states are averaging a 17.9% increase in FAFSA submissions year-over-year. On the other end of the spectrum, Louisiana, which repealed its universal FAFSA policy last academic year after having it in place for the previous seven, has seen its FAFSA submissions decline about 14% year-over-year, dropping the Bayou State all the way to 51^st nationally. For more on how universal FAFSA policies have positively impacted financial aid, read The Century Foundation’s new brief.

The FAFSA Tracker doesn’t have access to student-level FAFSA completion data, NCAN represents students’ characteristics with those of the high schools they attend. Low-income public high schools, where 50+% of students are free- or reduced-price lunch eligible, have seen their FAFSA submissions increase more than 10% year-over-year, an encouraging development. Unfortunately, these high schools still trail higher-income public high schools by about 8% in terms of the percentage of their seniors completing. A similar pattern exists between public high schools on either side of 40% Black and Latino/a enrollment.

The entire college access and attainment field is watching the high school Class of 2025 closely following the difficult 2024-25 cycle. Only 46% of the class of 2024 completed a FAFSA by June 30. However, since the FAFSA’s launch in late November, reports show much better functionality, shorter completion times, and increased completion rates – all signs that point to a better launchpad into higher education for this year’s high school seniors.

There is a lot of FAFSA cycle left for the class of 2025, and we will be watching to see if that momentum can keep up. "I hope these trends continue in the face of a challenging educational landscape and that students and families continue to pursue opportunities that we know can lead to economic mobility," concludes Henderson. "That's especially true in a time when the message too many students may be hearing is that they don't belong in higher education. You do belong, and NCAN members will help you get there."

Have questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions about NCAN’s FAFSA Tracker? We’d love to hear them! Contact Bill DeBaun, NCAN's Senior Director, Data and Strategic Initiatives, at debaunb@ncan.org.

Read More:

• Keep the Momentum Going with NCAN's #DoTheFAFSA Campaign!
• FAFSA Sex Question and FSA ID Changes
• CBO Predicts Pell Surplus Will Be Depleted This Year

Update as of 2/19/25:

FSA released an electronic announcement (EA) on February 18th describing how the question about a respondent’s sex has changed in the current FAFSA form to comply with ED’s recent announcement that “male” and “female” will be the only two options on the current and future forms.

This change is problematic for students because it eliminates the ability of students to select "Prefer Not to Answer." Many students select "Prefer Not to Answer" because they are concerned about sharing more private information than is necessary with the federal government, especially at this time when many have raised concerns about data privacy. "Prefer Not to Answer" remains an option for the race and ethnicity questions and should also be available for sex.

All demographic questions are strictly for research purposes. These questions do not impact financial aid awards and are not shared with institutions of higher education or state agencies, raising further questions about the need to exclude Prefer Not to Answer as an option.

NCAN will be expressing our concern about this change in our formal comments to FSA on the draft '25-'26 FAFSA form, and we encourage our members to do so as well.

The EA explained how the update will apply to corrections. It says: 

If a student previously answered “Non-binary” or “Prefer not to answer” and goes to submit a correction to their 2024-25 or 2025-26 form for any reason, they will be required to respond to the updated sex question in order to successfully resubmit their FAFSA form. Students will be prompted to do so as part of submitting the correction.

Students who have already submitted a 2024–25 or 2025–26 FAFSA form before February 14, and do not require other corrections, are not required to take any action. Additionally, outdated versions of the paper FAFSA form submitted after February 14 will still be processed, regardless of the answer selected, and will not require a correction. Institutions do not need to take any action.

Corrections that are initiated by institutions, regardless of method (FAFSA Partner Portal or EDE), will not require an updated response value to be entered, regardless of the student’s previous answer to question 11.

Original post:

There has been a flurry of Executive Orders (EOs) issued since the Trump administration took over, and it can be hard to keep up. In this article, we examine “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism And Restoring Biological Truth To The Federal Government” as it applies to the postsecondary access and attainment field as well a change to the FSA ID process.

FAFSA and Gender

A recent order will mandate some adjustments to a question on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The EO issued on January 20, 2025, related to "biological truth" will require an adjustment be made on the question currently related to gender. The order indicates that for all federal processes and forms, there are only two allowable responses – male or female. The gender question currently contains those options as answers as well as “non-binary” and “prefer not to answer.”

The gender question on the 2024-25 and 2025-26 FAFSAs has been modified as of February 18, 2025. The question will ask about the applicant’s sex and will only provide male and female as answer options. The nonbinary and prefer not to answer options will be removed from the form. This does not require any changes for those who have already filed the form. The draft for the 2026-27 form reflects these changes moving forward.

Please remind students that these questions are used for research purposes only. The responses have no effect on their aid eligibility. The answers to these questions are not shared with contributors, state agencies, or higher education institutions. With such limited usage, we encourage you to help students answer the questions as instructed and move forward with completing the form.

Please note that if a student opts to go in and make any correction to either of the currently available FAFSAs after the question is modified, it they previously chose nonbinary or prefer not to answer, they will be directed to this question and must choose male or female in order for the all the corrections to be processed.

FSA ID Adjustment

In addition, in February there was an adjustment to simplify the matching process when a contributor without a Social Security number (SSN) was invited to a FAFSA. Previously, if a student invited a parent without an SSN to contribute to their FAFSA, the address the student provided in the FAFSA was required to match the address in the parent’s account EXACTLY to make the connection. With this change, the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) now allows a connection to be made when there are common small differences in the two addresses, such as punctuation differences, “St” vs. Street”, “Apt” vs “Apartment”, etc. This should allow for a significant increase in the number of successful invites of parents without SSNs. Note that this change is applicable when the parent already has an account prior to the invite.

The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) will continue to update our membership as any current or future changes to the FAFSA or FSA ID process are announced. 

Read More:

• CBO Predicts Pell Surplus Will Be Depleted This Year
• Three Outstanding (and Free) FAFSA Resources for Students and Families
• With FAFSA Off to a Good Start, Let’s Increase Completions by High School Seniors

Reading time: Six minutes

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently updated its cost projection of the Pell Grant program. It is now predicting that the program’s surplus will run out this year. According to the newly released estimate, the program will end fiscal year (FY) 2025 with a $2.7 billion shortfall, meaning the obligations of the program will exceed the amount that is available to spend.

While CBO’s update may sound alarming, it’s important to note that Pell Grants for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years are safe and adequately funded. The Pell Grant program is forward funded, meaning leftover funding from FY24, funding for FY25, and, if needed, funding for FY26 can be used to fund the program. Students and families should not be concerned that Pell Grants included in financial aid offers made this year will not be honored or that Pell Grants students are currently receiving to fund their education will be at risk.

This report does however underscore the need for additional Pell advocacy, especially in the current political climate where massive cost cutting, even of Congressionally-appropriated funding, appears to be on the table.

Here is a quick Q&A of what you need to know:

Q: What is the Pell reserve?
A: In contrast to most education programs where Congress provides a certain amount of funding per year that can be spent, Pell Grants are funded through a combination of mandatory and discretionary funding but allocated to students based on a formula and maximum award that are written into (separate) statutes. As a result, the program sometimes ends the year with more funding than is needed to cover its obligations and sometimes with less. If more students draw down Pell Grants than Congress anticipated, the program will run a shortfall. If the opposite occurs, the program is said to be running a surplus. Funds appropriated for Pell in prior years but not spent can be saved for years when demand exceeds supply. Similarly, funds appropriated for the next fiscal year can be used to fill holes in the current one, if necessary.

Q: Why is CBO projecting a shortfall?
A: CBO did not release its assumptions, but there are likely two major factors causing this change. First, in an unexpected update to its initial release, the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) reported that enrollment in post-secondary education grew by 5.5% this fall. This increase occurred in spite of the widespread disruptions to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that led to a nearly 10% drop in completion rates among high school seniors.

Second, Pell eligibility was expanded in 2019 through the FAFSA Simplification Act to allow more students to receive maximum, minimum, and partial Pell Grants. In December, the US Department of Education (ED) reported that 730,000 more Pell-eligible students are enrolled in postsecondary education than last year.

CBO likely used these factors to update their projections of the cost of the program, but the actual cost for academic year 2024-25 will not be known for several months. It’s worth noting that the enrollment increase reported by NSC was fueled by shorter-term programs where many students pay out of pocket, and that FAFSA completion rates among high school seniors and postsecondary enrollment rates have never diverged before in the seven years the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) has been tracking this data. Whether Pell runs a shortfall or a surplus in future years depends in part on how much the program costs in the current year. Even small decreases in the projected cost of the program this year could delay the shortfall in the future. Still, experts have been predicting a shortfall is coming for years so the question is likely when - not whether - it will materialize.

Q: What’s the risk of a shortfall?
A: In short, eligibility cuts. According to law, the program is only allowed to be in shortfall for one year before the award is automatically cut to adapt to the amount of funding that’s available. A crude estimate reveals that if the shortfall of $2.7 billion proves accurate and must be absorbed by 7.5 million students receiving a maximum Pell, each student’s award would fall by $360 to $7,035, wiping out most of the landmark recent increase from 2022. Faced with an impending shortfall, Congress has a choice. It can either shore up the program by providing adequate funding to meet the need or it can respond by cutting eligibility.

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Government recently recommended some ways that eligibility could be restricted, including changing the formula to provide Pell Grants only to students who qualify for the maximum award, increasing the number of credit hours required, “limiting grant renewals for low-performing students, tightening means testing of Pell awards, or limiting the full award to students taking at least 15 credit hours.” All these options would negatively impact college access and success.

It’s important to beware the stealth cut. While the Pell maximum is determined by Congress and enacted into law each year in annual appropriations bills, that value alone doesn’t tell the full story of Pell funding. Congress could hold the maximum Pell Grant constant, which has been the case in recent years, but restrict eligibility, leading to a perception that the program has been spared when actually a reduction in access has occurred.

Q: What now?
A: What happens now in part is up to us. While current federal spending for FY25 expires on March 28, Congress does not need to cover the Pell shortfall until FY26, giving NCAN members a window for direct advocacy. CBO’s projection makes it less likely the maximum Pell award level will increase or that the program will be expanded to include short-term programs. But the program as it exists today enjoys bipartisan support. Just last March, Congress provided $3 billion in mandatory funding for the program and Pell was quickly exempted from the recent funding freeze.

Congress could also address the shortfall in the budget reconciliation bill that is being developed now. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) recently announced that the Senate Budget Committee will begin marking up a budget resolution this week, and the draft bill instructs the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee to find at least $1 billion in savings. In January, the House Budget Committee published an extensive list of options that could be used as offsets as part of a budget reconciliation bill, including some major changes to higher education programs and policies, Perhaps there could be a bipartisan agreement to fund Pell with a small portion of those savings.

We are looking forward to welcoming NCAN members to Washington on March 31-April 1 for our upcoming inaugural Leadership Summit, which will provide an opportunity for our community and the students we serve to make their voices heard. We also encourage you to consider writing a blog or op-ed describing the importance of Pell in your life and sharing it on social media. We will be in touch with additional advocacy opportunities soon. Questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out to me at cbrown@ncan.org.

Read More:

• Federal Funding Freeze: What Happens Next?
• Three Outstanding (and Free) FAFSA Resources for Students and Families
• Student and Parent Data Should be Private; Chaos Only Hurts Access and Attainment