By Bill DeBaun, Senior Director of Data and Strategic Initiatives, and David LaNore, Program Manager
Reading time: Five minutes
Some, but not nearly enough, high schools offer summer melt prevention services to assist with the myriad tasks that can trip up a student and stymie the matriculation of college-intending students. This summer, far more high schools must consider offering
summer support to turn the tide on Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion and ensure we don’t see enrollment declines this fall.
The high school class of 2024’s FAFSA completion rate is on-track to be down 10 percentage points last year’s seniors. That’s an eye-popping figure and one that has K-12 and higher ed
advocates, practitioners, and policymakers wringing their hands. Last June 30, 53.4% of the class of 2023 had completed a FAFSA. Through mid-April of this year, that figure is just 32.9%.
The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) has always looked at the first June 30 of a FAFSA cycle as a key milestone. There’s nothing particularly special about June 30 in terms of deadlines or policy, it’s just the date, 10 months into a normal
cycle, six months into this year’s, where NCAN surmises that most students will not have regular access to advising services from their district or high school.
Every year, an estimated 10-40% of college-intending high school seniors don’t arrive on college campuses in the fall following high school graduation. This phenomenon, “summer melt,” disproportionately impacts first-generation college students and students
from low-income backgrounds. This year, a broader “summer support” effort is warranted.
For districts and schools that don’t currently provide summer melt/support services, there are a few questions to ask and considerations to make:
Questions
Considerations
How am I going to payfor summer support and who will provide it?
Consider tapping any remaining ESSER funds. FAFSA completion help is an allowable use and supporting this one-time larger cohort avoids
the sustainability issues that other last-minute ESSER spending might create.
Consider piggybacking on existing summer school staffing if possible. For budgeting, estimate 20 hours/week for eight weeks per staff member.
Are there local community groups/orgs to pull volunteers from? (e.g., college access programs, GEAR UP, TRIO, public libraries, United Way, Urban League, local Lions, Kiwanis, Rotary Club)
What are some delivery models for preventing summer melt?
In-person: Staff drop-in “office hours” at the school or another public place (e.g., library); host FAFSA completion events/financial aid nights on a set schedule.
Virtual: Post FAFSA resources on district/high school website; staff responses to students and families asynchronously via shared text message account, dedicated email inbox, or other existing two-way communications
channels/text messaging platforms with students/families; staff a “hotline” via phone.
Hybrid: Combine in-person and virtual models to help provide broadest time coverage possible so all students and families can access help.
How do I contact students and families about available support?
Update/collect student/parent contact information (phone & email) in a senior exit survey (see next row for more on exit surveys).
Sketch a communications plan with a schedule for delivering key messages and raising awareness of events/available assistance.
Inventory communications channels for one-way resource/event sharing (e.g., district/school social media channels, email newsletters, text messaging platforms).
Consider publicizing help on the radio and in local papers.
Do I have and how should I use data on students’ postsecondary plans, so I can triage the right supports to the right students at the right time?
Student-level FAFSA completion data will be integral to any progress related to college or financial aid. Checking the status of each student’s FAFSA should lead all summer interventions.
It is also critical to field a senior exit survey that asks students about their postsecondary plans, aspirations, and concerns. If the current survey is anonymous, consider another instrument that ties responses to a student’s name/contact
information to help proactively provide customized support.
Note: Without information connected to individual students, staff may be restricted to providing general help with FAFSA completion and interpreting financial aid offer letters only to those who opt into supports you offer.
NCAN has collected a variety of resources related to summer melt that will be valuable for any district or school’s planning efforts:
NCAN’s Better FAFSA Resource Page: Includes information on current FAFSA challenges and workarounds, training for staff, awareness and outreach toolkits, FAQs, etc.
InvestForward.US – “Freeze Summer Melt”: This guide offers details about summer melt prevention strategies, including concrete implications on staffing, budget, and
evaluation.
Award Letter Review: Students often need support comparing their college options. This NCAN guide is a resource for staff and other volunteers
to assist with that critical but confusing comparison.
College Transition Checklists: Students often matriculate to nearby institutions. College Transition Checklists like these provided by the Puget Sound College
and Career Network are an excellent resource to produce for the top three-to-five (or more) institutions to which your students matriculate. Ask university admissions/financial aid contacts to assist with production.
Strategic Data Project: Summer Melt Handbook: A comprehensive resource walking step-by-step through the timeline
and strategies for preventing summer melt. Includes workflows, intervention options, and advice on identifying and collaborating with partner organizations.
There’s no doubt this is an urgent moment for the class of 2024, and the activities we propose are critical for keeping as many students on-track for postsecondary matriculation this fall as possible. More broadly, however, this is a good time to check
or grow summer melt prevention activities for future classes, and the suggestions above are great for that, too.
NCAN stands ready to assist with questions about summer melt/support programming. Have questions? Email Alessandra Cipriani-Detres at alessandra@ncan.org and David LaNore at lanore@ncan.org.
NCAN is grateful to Education Counsel for their collaboration on and additions to this post's content.
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