By Bill DeBaun, Senior Director of Data and Strategic Initiatives
Reading time: Two minutes
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this post called Kansas the sixth state to pass a universal FAFSA policy. It is actually the seventh state to do so, along with Louisiana, Illinois, Texas, Alabama, California, and New Hampshire. The author regrets the error.
A single bullet point in a recent Kansas State Board of Education press release reveals that the sunflower
state will become the 7th in the nation to require completion of the FAFSA for high school graduation.
“All students completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). However, schools, students and families will be able to opt out,” reads the bullet point, one of four new requirements for students that will go into effect for the high school
class of 2028 at the earliest. Today’s 7th graders and their families have plenty of time to prepare for completing the form (though they may want to wait for the new FAFSA to roll out before spending too much time thinking about it).
The changes to high school graduation requirements are the first Kansas has passed in 20 years.
Kansas joins Louisiana (implemented class of 2018), Illinois (2021), Alabama and Texas (2022), California (2023), and New Hampshire (2024) as a “universal FAFSA” state.
The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) endorses universal FAFSA with supports and has identified it as a state policy priority and one of eight college and career readiness
policy levers that are a focus of NCAN’s ongoing systems change work.
NCAN’s recommendations to states who are considering universal FAFSA include:
Require FAFSA completion for high school graduation through legislative or other policy vehicles.
Include a robust opt-out system for students who are unable to access parental financial information, have undocumented parents, or whose parents allow them to abstain.
Provide (at minimum) one full FAFSA cycle from the bill passing, or the item being administratively added to a list of requirements before the actual requirement takes effect.
Make the change administratively, if high school graduation requirements do not live in statute.
If not already in place, build and provide robust training and support through school counselors and/or college access advisers to ensure students are helped through the process.
Provide regular data-sharing on completion to high schools and community-based organizations to allow for better-targeted FAFSA completion efforts.
Looking for more information on universal FAFSA as a policy strategy? NCAN has some initial findings on implementation and impacts.
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