By Bill DeBaun, Senior Director, Data and Strategic Initiatives
Reading time: Four minutes
High school seniors sent college access professionals quite a valentine this year. Through February 14, Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) submissions for high school seniors are up 6.4% compared to last year through the same number of weeks;
submissions are up 13% compared to the 11th week of the class of 2023 FAFSA cycle. The year-over-year growth is an encouraging development as the field looks for a strong FAFSA completion performance that capitalizes on expanded Pell Grant
eligibility and a more streamlined FAFSA process.
The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) estimates that 33% of the class of 2025 has completed a FAFSA, compared to 29.2% through the same number of weeks for the class of 2023. Comparison data on class of 2024 FAFSA completions won’t be available
until the end of March given delays in processing last year. However, when those data first became available on March 29 last year, about 28% of seniors had completed a FAFSA nationally. The class of 2025 surpassed that figure on January 31 of this
year, so current seniors are running far ahead of their predecessors.
“The increases in FAFSA submissions for the Class of 2025 are a testament to the hard work that our members and other caring adults in our field have put in to ensure that students and families have the support and guidance they need to complete this
critical first step in their pursuit of degree,” said Zenia Henderson, NCAN’s Chief Program Officer. “It's also a testament to the resilience of our students and families who understand that the FAFSA can unlock the much-needed aid to make
college more affordable for those who need it most.”
This data comes from NCAN’s FAFSA Tracker, an interactive dashboard using data from the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) released each Friday. The Tracker displays data on high school seniors’
FAFSA submission and completion outcomes at the national, state, and local levels.
Through February 14, 16 states and Washington, DC have seen their year-over-year change in FAFSA submissions increase by double-digit percentages. Washington, DC tops the list at 28.7% followed by Oklahoma, Arizona, Texas, and Nebraska.
By the percentage of the senior class completing a FAFSA, New Jersey tops the list at 44.5%, followed by Illinois, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York.
Notably, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, and Oklahoma are all implementing universal FAFSA policies for the first time this year. These four states are averaging a 17.9% increase in FAFSA submissions year-over-year. On the other end of the spectrum, Louisiana,
which repealed its universal FAFSA policy last academic year after having it in place for the previous seven, has seen its FAFSA submissions decline about 14% year-over-year, dropping the Bayou State all the way to 51st nationally. For
more on how universal FAFSA policies have positively impacted financial aid, read The Century Foundation’s new brief.
The FAFSA Tracker doesn’t have access to student-level FAFSA completion data, NCAN represents students’ characteristics with those of the high schools they attend. Low-income public high schools, where 50+% of students are free- or reduced-price lunch
eligible, have seen their FAFSA submissions increase more than 10% year-over-year, an encouraging development. Unfortunately, these high schools still trail higher-income public high schools by about 8% in terms of the percentage of their seniors
completing. A similar pattern exists between public high schools on either side of 40% Black and Latino/a enrollment.
The entire college access and attainment field is watching the high school Class of 2025 closely following the difficult 2024-25 cycle. Only 46% of the class of 2024 completed a FAFSA by June 30. However, since the FAFSA’s launch in late November, reports
show much better functionality, shorter completion times, and increased completion rates – all signs that point to a better launchpad into higher education for this year’s high school seniors.
There is a lot of FAFSA cycle left for the class of 2025, and we will be watching to see if that momentum can keep up. "I hope these trends continue in the face of a challenging educational landscape and that students and families continue to pursue opportunities
that we know can lead to economic mobility," concludes Henderson. "That's especially true in a time when the message too many students may be hearing is that they don't belong in higher education. You do belong, and NCAN members will help you get there."
Have questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions about NCAN’s FAFSA Tracker? We’d love to hear them! Contact Bill DeBaun, NCAN's Senior Director, Data and Strategic Initiatives, at debaunb@ncan.org.
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