Lessons Learned from the Sunshine State on FAFSA Completion Challenges

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In 2015, the Florida College Access Network (FCAN) implemented a statewide campaign to help students fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and qualify for financial aid programs like the Pell Grant. Each year since then, FCAN has challenged Florida schools to increase their FAFSA completion rates by 5 percentage points from the previous year and offered resources (and incentives) to help them do so.

This strategy has worked: The Florida FAFSA Challenge has resulted in increased FAFSA completion rates every year since its inception.

According to a recent FCAN blog: "This year’s Florida FAFSA Challenge aims to build off of last year’s efforts when 68 schools from 28 counties increased the percentage of seniors who completed the FAFSA by at least 5 percentage points over the previous year, despite the challenges COVID-19 caused. As a result, Florida’s Class of 2021 qualified for an estimated $139 million in Pell Grant dollars."

This year, FCAN is employing these key strategies to promote participation in the Florida FAFSA Completion Challenge:

• Offer awards and public recognition to the highest-performing schools and districts that fall into the following categories:
• MVP (highest completion rate through April 1, 2022).
• Most Improved (compared to previous year through April 1, 2022)
• Recognize “FAFSA Champions,” which includes all schools and districts that increase their FAFSA completion rate by at least 5 percentage points compared to the last school year.
• Regularly update the "First Look" Dashboard for schools and districts to track their progress in comparison to their peers.
• Disseminate comprehensive resources to students, families, and practitioners through the Florida FAFSA Challenge Toolkit, Florida Department of Education Navigating Your Financial Future Trainings (NYFF), and U.S. Department of Education Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) YouTube Channel.
• Provide student-level FAFSA completion data to schools and districts to better allow school-based counselors to target support to students and their families who have not completed the FAFSA.

To build momentum and encourage wide participation, FCAN practices targeted outreach to schools and counties with hopes to increase registration for the challenge. Those who register their schools using this survey can participate in the FAFSA Challenge, receive newsletters and promotional materials, and register for professional development opportunities. Registered schools and districts can engage with FCAN staff members, a community of practitioners, and nonprofit education organizations striving to meet the same goal.

FCAN also has an extensive list of public resources available to prospective-participant schools and districts in Florida as well as college access communities across the nation. Some examples of resources located on FCAN’s website and in the Florida FAFSA Challenge Toolkit include:

• A comprehensive how-to guide on hosting FAFSA completion events.
• A FAFSA completion walk-through training for counselors.
• A state and national scholarship directory.
• FAQs sheet on common FAFSA mistakes in Spanish and English
• A guide on how to pay for college.

Leading and participating in a FAFSA challenge is an effective way to boost completion rates in your school, district, or state. In addition to Florida, several states host their own FAFSA challenges. If you are interested in more inspiration on how to run a FAFSA completion challenge, consider similar efforts in the states of North Carolina, Mississippi, Arizona, and Connecticut.

Read More:

• NCAN Report: $3.75 Billion in Pell Grants Goes Unclaimed for High School Class of 2021
• 5 Key Components of State FAFSA Challenges
• Student-Level FAFSA Data Policies by State