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Latest News

Read the latest from NCAN, our members, Capitol Hill, and the broader college access and success field.

State Policy & Advocacy
Wednesday, January 25, 2023 Closing the SNAP Gap Among College Students » Reading time: Two minutes Despite the expansion of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or "food stamp...
Sunday, January 15, 2023 Kansas Becomes 7th State to Pass Universal FAFSA Graduation Requirement » By Bill DeBaun, Senior Director of Data and Strategic Initiatives Reading time: Two minutes Editor's Note: An earli...
Friday, January 6, 2023 You, Yes YOU, Can Change State Policy with These Five Strategies » By Catherine Brown, Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy Reading time: Six minutes Federal policy change may...
Tuesday, January 3, 2023 Illinois Framework Sets the PaCE for Other States’ CCR Efforts » Bill DeBaun, Senior Director of Data and Strategic Initiatives Reading time: Four minutes States are wor...
Friday, December 2, 2022 Use These Policy Levers to Change College and Career Readiness » By Bill DeBaun, Senior Director of Data and Strategic Initiatives Reading time: Two minutes State-level polici...
Monday, November 21, 2022 Need-Based Financial Aid Drives Economic Mobility, New Study Finds » By Catherine Brown, Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy Reading time: Four minutes A new longitudinal stud...
Monday, November 14, 2022 Ready to Make Policy Change? We Are. NCAN’s State Policy Working Groups Are Filling Now! » By Catherine Brown , Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy; Bill DeBaun , Senior Director of Data an...
Thursday, October 13, 2022 California Bans Scholarship Displacement » By Meredith Curry Nuñez, Executive Director of the Northern California College Promise Coalition, and Alison De Lucca, Exe...
Wednesday, April 20, 2022 State of the States: Governors and State Legislators Prioritize Postsecondary Education in 2022 » By Raymond AlQaisi, Senior Manager of Policy and Advocacy Reading time: 5 min. While we’re only four months...
Wednesday, December 8, 2021 California Makes Strides on Postsecondary Policy Change » Reading time: 4 min. After a busy legislative cycle, California recently adopted a number of major postsecondary...
Tuesday, October 26, 2021 North Carolina Model Offers Promising Statewide Approach to Driving FAFSA Completion » Reading time: 5 min. Over the past two years, North Carolina launched a statewide initiative to increase the numb...
Monday, October 25, 2021 5 Key Components of State FAFSA Challenges » Reading time: 7 min. By Jesse Kannam, Master of Public Policy Candidate at UC Berkeley Exciting momentum is...
Monday, August 2, 2021 3 More States Add FAFSA Completion as a Requirement for High School Graduation » Reading time: 3-4 min. In an apparent resurgence to the growing “ mandatory FAFSA ” movement, three new states –...
Monday, February 8, 2021 Many States Are Implementing Challenges to Boost FAFSA Completion Rates » Reading time: 3 min. Ensuring students complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a cruci...
Friday, December 4, 2020 NCAN Partners With ECS on Brief Outlining Steps States Can Take to Support Postsecondary Transitions » Earlier this fall, NCAN released recommendations for school districts on to help this year’s high school seniors stay on t...
Monday, November 2, 2020 Chatbots, Hotlines, Career Quizzes Among Grand Canyon State’s Student Supports » Well before “coronavirus” or “COVID-19” entered our common vernacular, the college access and success field was searching...
Monday, October 19, 2020 Ed Trust Launches FAFSA Toolkit for New York State » The Education Trust–New York and education organizations across the Empire State released the " Financial Aid for College...
Tuesday, August 11, 2020 Ohio Coalition Releases Action Plan to Increase Educational Attainment » Ohio, like many other states, is in need of an increasingly educated workforce. In 2018, only 49.2% of Ohioans had earned...
Monday, April 20, 2020 State Budget Cuts Caused by the Coronavirus Will Likely Hit Higher Education Hard » The coronavirus pandemic is already taking its toll on state budgets. Potential cuts to higher education funding are parti...
Monday, February 24, 2020 A Number of States Are Now Considering 'Mandatory FAFSA' Policies » With 2020 state legislative sessions underway, many legislators are considering proposals to aid students in college-going...
Friday, October 11, 2019 From Advocacy Intern to State Legislator: Q&A With Rep. Kevin Windham » Kevin Windham, a former advocacy intern for The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis, was elected to his first two-year ter...
Monday, August 12, 2019 Illinois Becomes Third State to Require FAFSA Completion for High School Graduation » When Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed H.B. 2719 into effect on Aug. 2, he made Illinois the third state to require FAFSA comple...
Thursday, August 8, 2019 Less State Funding to Public Colleges = Fewer Students with a Degree » For many students, especially those with low-income status, the cost of attendance for and financial aid package offered b...
Tuesday, August 6, 2019 Estimating the Potential Impact of Mandatory FAFSA in Texas » In July, this blog reported that Texas will become the second state (after Louisiana) to mandate FAFSA completion for hi...
Tuesday, July 9, 2019 New Washington Law Creates State Promise Program to Guarantee Need-Based Aid for Eligible Students » Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee signed the Workforce Education Investment Act into law earlier this year. By guest b...
Friday, July 5, 2019 Texas to Require FAFSA for High School Completion » Last month Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 3 into law. The legislation authorizes $11.6 billion in school finan...
Thursday, June 27, 2019 'Sail to 60' Goal Puts Florida on Track to Prepare Today’s Students for Tomorrow’s Workforce » By guest blogger Laurie Meggesin, Executive Director of the Florida College Access Network On Monday, Florida...
Friday, May 31, 2019 Louisiana Class With Mandated FAFSA Graduates, Enrolls in Record Numbers » Ever since Louisiana announced a policy that would mandate financial aid planning for high school graduation (including...
Wednesday, May 22, 2019 Momentum for Mandatory FAFSA Filing Continues » Gilbert Zavala, vice president education & talent development at the Austin Chamber of Commerce, testifies to the Texa...
Thursday, April 25, 2019 All In for Financial Aid: Doing More Than Just Talking About Equity » By guest blogger Tyler Wu, Higher Education Policy Analyst, The Education Trust—West If you walked into th...
Thursday, March 7, 2019 States Considering Bills to Promote College Access and Success for Students Experiencing Homelessnes » By guest blogger Patricia Julianelle, Director of Program Advancement and Legal Affairs for SchoolHouse Connect...
Wednesday, March 6, 2019 New State Legislative Season Opens With Flurry of CSA Activity » By guest bloggers Diego Quezada and Shira Markoff, Prosperity Now State legislative sessions in the last few months ha...
Thursday, February 14, 2019 Grantee’s Push for Attainment Goal Pays Off in Michigan » Michigan College Access Network's executive director Brandy Johnson speaks at the Michigan Higher Education Attainmen...
Thursday, February 7, 2019 Texas, Indiana Considering Mandatory FAFSA Filing for High School Students » The initial results of Louisiana’s unprecedented policy move requiring high school seniors to complete a Free Application...
Thursday, December 20, 2018 3 College Affordability Ballot Measures Pass in Midterm Cycle » From record turnout to a swing of power in the U.S. House of Representatives, the 2018 midterm elections produced several...
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