The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) and Capital One are partnering together alongside 15 NCAN member organizations to provide completion support for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) from January to March of 2024 in 20 cities across the country. The project will leverage Capital One Cafés by using them as sites for free FAFSA workshops led by local NCAN members and offering parallel support through a platform operated by Mainstay that proactively guides students via text message on
FAFSA related topics and automatically answers their questions 24/7.
“The redesigned 2024-25 FAFSA is easier to fill out than ever, but we have a limited time to help at least 17 million individuals complete it,” NCAN CEO Kim Cook said. “Capital One’s support will help spread the word and offer assistance on the ground
and through technology. We are also grateful to our local member organizations willing to increase their outreach.”
There is a strong correlation between FAFSA completion and postsecondary enrollment and persistence. For families with limited incomes,
completing FAFSA is an important step to accessing grants and other benefits that make higher education affordable.
“Deciding how to pay for college is one of the most significant financial decisions students and families will make in their lifetime," said Kerone Vatel, Head of Community Impact & Investment, Capital One. "By democratizing access to information and
available aid, we can break down barriers and help students feel more confident, capable, and in control of their financial futures."
Each participating Capital One Café will offer three FAFSA drop-in workshops, primarily on Saturdays, by the end of March. WiFi-connected devices will be available for families to use to complete FSA ID or FAFSA applications. Trained representatives of
each of these NCAN member organizations will be on hand to walk students and parents through the process and answer questions.
Individuals attending the workshops will also receive access to a Mainstay chatbot that offers free 24/7 personalized FAFSA completion support via text message. Other FAFSA completers in the 20 cities may also use the chatbot, even if they do not attend
a Capital One Café workshop.
“We believe that the combination of in-person FAFSA assistance and personalized, proactive, and on-demand technology is a powerful combination,” said John Maycock, Chief Partnerships Officer at Mainstay. “The ability to partner with so many other NCAN
member organizations is a major benefit of this project. We look forward not only to helping with thousands of FAFSAs, but also to learning about how we can all work together to achieve significantly higher FAFSA completion rates in the future.”
A full schedule of upcoming events can be found below. Click here to view and download a promotional flyer.
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