FAFSA Completion Is Up

"Free Application for Federal Student Aid completion is up this year, with 26 percent of high school seniors having filled out the FAFSA by Nov. 21, according to the National College Attainment Network's annual FAFSA tracker. That's an 11.7 percent increase over the number of students who had completed the form as of the same date in 2022, the last time the form successfully launched on Oct. 1. (This year, it opened a few days early.)"

"That rate is slightly higher among students attending high-income high schools (27.8 percent) and lower for low-income high schools (22.1 percent). High schools in cities also have lower completion rates (21.8 percent) than in suburbs, rural areas and small towns. Indiana is the state with the highest FAFSA completion rate, at 38.1 percent, while in Alaska, just 10.7 percent of high school seniors have filled out the form."

"In a blog post about FAFSA data, NCAN wrote that students have reported filling out the simplified FAFSA in as little as 15 minutes. That, combined with the early opening date this year, may lead to record FAFSA completion for the Class of 2026, the organization said."

FAFSA completion among high school seniors reached 26% by Nov. 21, marking an 11.7% increase from the same date in 2022 following an earlier-than-usual launch. Completion rates differ by school income level: 27.8% at high-income high schools and 22.1% at low-income high schools. Urban high schools show lower completion (21.8%) compared with suburbs, rural areas, and small towns. Statewide variation is large, with Indiana at 38.1% and Alaska at 10.7%. NCAN noted that students have completed the simplified FAFSA in as little as 15 minutes, which plus the early opening could boost Class of 2026 completion.

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