Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a free form that students can use to apply for federal grants, work-study, and loans before each year of college. Colleges use the FAFSA data to determine a student’s eligibility for federal aid, and many states and colleges also use it to award their own aid.
The U.S. Department of Education’s delay in rolling out the new FAFSA form, coupled with limited access, unclear instructions, and issues with data reporting, has led to a noticeable drop in the number of completed forms for the 2024 academic year.
Comparing data from late May 2024 to those from late May 2023, a report from The Century Foundation found that nearly 300,000 fewer high school seniors have completed FAFSAs this year.
Peter Granville from The Century Foundation highlighted that the decline in FAFSA completions has been particularly severe among historically marginalized communities. This trend could lead to enrollment drops at educational institutions, which may disproportionately affect students based on race, educational background, and income levels.
FAFSA Fallout: Application Dropoff Threatening to Widen College Gaps
- Communities with a high share of residents living in poverty, non-college adults, or Black or Latino residents show year-over-year dropoffs in FAFSA completions that are roughly 20 percent greater than those in communities with a low share of these groups.
- A FAFSA submitted by a student in a community that has a high share of residents living in poverty, non-college adults, or Black or Latino residents is nearly twice as likely to be incomplete compared to a submitted FAFSA from a community with a low share of these groups.
The Rhode Island Student Loan Authority (RISLA) is educating students on how to apply for college funding. RISLA recently received $250,000 from Educational Credit Management Corporation (ECMC) to educate about the importance of completing the FAFSA.
“Due to complications with the federal rollout of the FAFSA, completion rates nationwide are low in comparison to previous years and Rhode Island is no exception,” said Charles Kelley, Executive Director of RISLA. “This funding will help us reach even more students through a variety of channels in order to provide students with the necessary
support to get to the FAFSA finish line to receive financial aid for college.”
“RISLA’s College Planning Center’s staff provides one-on-one counseling to parents and students in completing the often-complex financial aid forms such as the FAFSA and the College Board’s CSS Profile financial aid application,” said Stacy Crooks, Director of the College Planning Center and Community Engagement with RISLA. Crooks said members of RISLA travel to high schools during the financial aid season and present Financial aid seminars to students and families. “Over the summer and this fall we have and will continue to focus on keeping families informed about any changes and how they can prepare to submit their FAFSA form.”
Crooks also said that a monthly FAFSA newsletter informing families about any new updates as RISLA learns them by attending the many online training sessions provided by FSA. Additionally, RISLA has an online FAFSA Guide which is a step-by-step, screen-by-screen view of the FAFSA form at collegeplanningcenter.org. RISLA has also provided high school counselors with a FAFSA tool kit which includes access to an online guide along with other informational resources to educate their students about the importance of completing their FAFSA and the free services available at RISLA’s College Planning Center.
Excelencia En Education reports that 34% of Latino students don’t complete the FAFSA because they or their family don’t have enough information on how to fill it out. In some areas of the country with growing Latino populations like Rhode Island, nearly 35% of families have limited English proficiency. This can make it difficult for students and their parents to understand the education system and the importance of college.
Crooks said RISLAs College Planning Center makes a conscious effort to meet people where they are comfortable and that seems to be in their school. “We do financial aid info nights and other workshops in Spanish and we have 3 Spanish speaking counselors on staff to make both the admissions and financial aid process for first generation and Spanish speaking families more comfortable,” she said.
To see when the next free RISLA College Planning Center event and counseling session will be held, click HERE.
About RISLA
Since 1981, RISLA has been providing affordable education solutions to students.
We offer low-cost education loans and a range of other services to help students
achieve their higher education goals. From start to finish, RISLA is with you every
step of the way, guiding you through the college planning process, educating
families about financial aid, and providing tools to help you make informed
borrowing decisions.
College Planning Center
RISLA’s College Planning Center (CPC) is a free service dedicated to helping
students gain access to higher education. Each year, the CPC helps thousands of
students and families plan for attending and paying for college. The Center is
located at Chapel View, Cranston, Rhode Island.
Publisher’s Notes: RISLA is a sponsor of Rhode Island Latino News.
