By Bill DeBaun, Senior Director, Data and Strategic Initiatives
Reading time: Two minutes
The White House and the US Department of Education (ED) are announcing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Week of Action, which will take place April 15-19. The announcement comes as advocates across the country are calling with
increasing urgency for a concerted effort from all stakeholders and at all levels to assist students and families with completing the 2024-25 award year FAFSA.
The White House and ED are encouraging high school counselors, principals, and other school leaders, superintendents, after school programs, parent groups, nonprofit organizations, and other local and state education organizations to commit to taking
action to raise awareness about the FAFSA.
Organizers of the FAFSA Week of Action are asking stakeholders to commit to any (or all) of a series of actions, including:
Hosting an in-person or virtual FAFSA Week of Action FAFSA submission event.
Emailing, texting, or sending push notifications with information about the Better FAFSA and how to submit the form.
Incorporating information about Better FAFSA and FAFSA Week of Action into newsletters, webinars, upcoming events/conferences, or resource sites.
The commitment form also includes more specific suggestions of commitments for high school counselors, district and school leaders, non-profit
and community organizations, and elected officials.
If you would like to commit to taking one or more of these actions, please complete this form and email back to Jessica.I.Cardichon@who.eop.gov by 6:00 PM ET on April 5, 2024.
Through March 15, FAFSA submissions by high school seniors are down about 30%, which represents about a 15-percentage point gap between the classes of 2023 and 2024. As I wrote recently at
Inside Higher Education: “There’s still time to help students who have yet to submit the FAFSA, but the window is closing, and it’s closing quickly. This is an emergency for high school seniors, especially those seniors from low-income and/or
first-generation backgrounds, many of whom are students of color. These students stand to benefit the most from need-based federal and state financial aid programs that would make college more affordable.”
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