As of May 1, the high school class of 2026 has set an all-time high completion rate for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
54.7% of seniors nationwide have already completed the form that controls access to federal financial aid to help pay for college, like the Pell Grant, as well as most state and institutional financial aid.
Incredibly, this year’s seniors set the record less than two months ahead of the June 30 milestone that the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) has used to measure the completion rate for almost a decade. The achievement demonstrates the positive power of policy change and the concerted efforts of students, families, and practitioners who support them across the country.
Earlier this year, NCAN projected that this class was well-positioned to set a new all-time high, outpacing the previous record of 54.4% by June 30 achieved by the high school class of 2018. The class of 2026’s especially strong performance to-date, with eight weeks to go until June 30, means this year’s class could break a 60% nationwide completion rate.
We have set the record; the only question left is how many percentage points above the old record we can reach.
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The class of 2026 represents a remarkable, encouraging turnaround. Two years ago, during the difficult rollout of the Better FAFSA, the high school class of 2024 reached just 46% completion by June 30. The class of 2025 greatly improved on that by reaching 53.9% by the end of June. The class of 2026, in turn, has completed nearly 12% more FAFSAs through May 1 than the class of 2025 had by the same date.
All of the figures above come from NCAN’s FAFSA Tracker, which is in its 9th year of recording and visualizing high school seniors’ FAFSA completion progress at the national, state, and local levels.
What Made FAFSA Easier This Year?
There are a few reasons for the class of 2026’s resounding success to point towards:
- The 2026-27 FAFSA cycle opened not only on time but early on September 24. Following two previous cycles that opened late at various points in December. The importance of giving students and families two extra months to complete the FAFSA cannot be overestimated. As well as providing high school counselors and college access practitioners with more time to help students through the financial aid process. Two months is the equivalent of 20% of the academic year in much of the country; it makes a huge difference to open on time.
- The FAFSA process for most families is speedier, smoother, and simpler this year. The Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) deserves a lot of credit for not only the fixes in the process but also the improvements it has made. Changes like instant verification during the StudentAid.gov account creation process for most users with a Social Security Number is a game changer. Instant verification means students and families aren’t waiting multiple days to get started with the FAFSA process, and it means that college advisors running financial aid nights can help students complete the process all at once, rather than over multiple days. Beyond that, FSA also reduced the number of fields and screens needed to set up the ID and eliminated the challenge questions and have continued mid-cycle to look at process performance to try to eliminate places that trip up users.
- FAFSA, like any activity, has some muscle memory involved. This is the 3rd year under the new process, which means standard operating procedures are in place, there’s more familiarity with the process, and college access professionals and caring adults around the country are better able to assist with FAFSA completion activities.
- Nine states now have universal FAFSA policies, which set some kind of requirement on students or schools to complete the FAFSA or opt out of doing so. Four of the top five, six of the top 10, and eight of the top 15 states have such a policy, including many large states like California, Texas, Illinois, New York, and New Jersey. These policies put upward pressure on the nationwide FAFSA completion rate. Beyond universal FAFSA, NCAN has broadly seen increased attention on completion from state education agencies.
Which States Are Leading the Way with FAFSA Completion?
Through May 1, every state has more FAFSA completions for the class of 2026 than for class of 2025. Four states - New Mexico, Florida, Alaska, and Arizona - have year-over-year increases of 20% or more.
Six states - Tennessee, Illinois, Texas, New Jersey, California, and New York - have already achieved FAFSA completion rates of 60% or greater through May 1, and these will undoubtedly increase.
This moment is a poignant and powerful one for NCAN and our members and partners across the country. Advocating for FAFSA simplification was a decade-long project, and the policy’s passage was never assured. NCAN members have been key drivers of FAFSA completion across the country for years, but that was especially true during the tumultuous 2024-25 cycle. In light of that difficult period, witnessing this turnaround is especially sweet.
Notably, NCAN’s attention to FAFSA completion has never been about that outcome for its own sake. Instead, we understand the historic association between FAFSA completion by high school seniors and their immediate enrollment in college following high school graduation. FAFSA is the key that unlocks the financial aid which makes education and training after high school possible for many students, especially those who are first-generation and/or from a low-income background.
NCAN will continue to monitor the class of 2026’s FAFSA completion progress. The NCAN FAFSA Tracker will continue to be updated weekly on Friday, and we will post an update following the June 30 milestone to codify the new all-time FAFSA completion record.
For now, we urge students, families, NCAN members, and other partners across the country to run through the tape. We can continue to collectively connect students with the financial aid that can make a big difference for their postsecondary future; we should do that and do so in record-breaking fashion.