In the 2021-22 school year, the national student-to-counselor ratio was 408:1. Given the complications with this year’s
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and persistent college access equity gaps, the list of reasons to increase support for students is only increasing. Many states are seeking new ways to fill advising gaps and increase student support.
The Michigan College Access Network (MCAN) partnered with uAspire to produce Certified FAFSA Specialist Trainings to increase the state’s capacity to address urgent needs. Michigan has one of the highest student-to-counselor ratios in the nation, with one counselor for every 615 students. The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) interviewed Jeneen Hatoum, Director of High School Innovation at MCAN, to understand how
and why MCAN created the Certified FAFSA Specialist Trainings.
What are the Certified FAFSA Specialist Trainings?
The Certified FAFSA Specialist Trainings prepare anyone interested in supporting students to access financial aid. The online training sessions provide
content on how to complete a FAFSA, how to review financial aid offers, and best practices for supporting students in securing financial aid in subsequent years of college. At the course's end, participants will present a FAFSA action plan that they
will implement within their own community. Upon successful completion of the course, participants are eligible for the FAFSA Specialist Badge, but only if they attended live sessions. By earning a badge, participants receive a certificate of completion,
social media assets, 20 college prep State Continuing Education Clock Hours, or SCECH, (educators need 150 education-related professional learning hours to renew Michigan issued certificates and licenses), and a $500-$1,500 grant opportunity per site
(nonprofit organization or school) that is intended to go towards their action plan.
While the certification opportunities are closed for the year, recordings of the trainings are available for anyone to watch.
Commitment to Engaging Trainings
One of the hallmarks that has made the Certified FAFSA Specialist Trainings so successful has been the commitment to making sessions engaging and interactive. Hatoum stated that uAspire maintained the need to keep the sessions to a small number of participants
to cultivate an immersive learning environment, even if that meant creating more sessions than what was originally planned.
The training sessions are tailored to participants’ needs. Participants submit questions before the session when they register in addition to completing a pre-survey at the beginning of each session to gauge how comfortable and knowledgeable they are
around the subject. Sessions include a basic breakdown of financial aid topics, scenarios for participants to engage with, and support for their action plans. Each session brought in different members from the uAspire team to equip newcomers to the
financial aid world with the proper tools and knowledge to support high school students with navigating their post-secondary options.
For participants with more experience, uAspire provided additional tools like the College Affordability and Transparency Center and its Financially Safer Schools resource. Each session allots sufficient time for participants to troubleshoot and ask questions. Participants also receive support beyond the sessions by staying in constant contact with the team.
Overall, these training courses equip people of all experience levels with the proper tools and knowledge to support high students navigate their post-secondary options. Hatoum stresses that MCAN’s partnership with uAspire has been key in creating a successful
initiative, as they have provided the financial aid expertise and credibility to create quality training courses.
Increasing Field Capacity
In the first year of the initiative, nearly 700 Michiganders registered for the Certified FAFSA Specialist Trainings. Hatoum explained that the trainings were in high demand due to the state’s generally positive perception about the value of the FAFSA.
It became obvious that more people in the state recognized the efforts of high school counselors and wanted to offer a helping hand to eliminate college access barriers.
The increase in FAFSA specialists comes at an important time for students in Michigan since the state committed to increasing the number of working age adults with
a skill certificate or college degree to 60% by 2030. As part of the commitment, the state introduced the Michigan Achievement Scholarship.
The scholarship provides aid for residents intending to enroll in an in-state post-secondary institution by demonstrating financial need via completion of the FAFSA. The state is both providing financial aid and creating the conditions for students
to effectively access this new aid. The Certified FAFSA Specialist Trainings bridge the gap between opportunity and achievement.
"The importance of FAFSA alone should motivate all states to take a proactive approach to ensuring that every adult that is supporting students with their postsecondary plans has the tools necessary to eliminate barriers--affordability. Leverage your partnerships, find the right people, commit to the cause and try it. Build the plane as you fly it!"
As states wrestle with questions of how to meet the needs of students today, Michigan is providing creative options on how to leverage the current workforce to ensure every student receives college access support in school. In addition to the Certified
FAFSA Specialist Trainings, Michigan also announced plans to create a Retired Educator FAFSA Specialist Program as another way to increase personnel who can support students in completing the FAFSA. NCAN will report on this new initiative later this
year.
Hatoum recommends that other states lean into partnerships, find the right people, and commit to the cause. She explains to simply build the plane as you fly it - action is more important than the perfect plan, especially when access to aid is lifechanging
for students. The initiative from Michigan is just one of many that states can look to for inspiration, but what’s clear is that creative solutions are needed, and the 700 newly certified FAFSA Specialists in Michigan show there’s significant interest.
NCAN would like to thank Jeneen Hatoum for her insight and knowledge sharing on this blog post.
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