Federal Department of Ed launches program aimed at increasing FAFSA completions

The U.S. Department of Education has launched a multimillion-dollar program aimed at encouraging more students to complete their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms.

The FAFSA Student Support Strategy will provide up to $50 million in funding to support organizations with demonstrated experience expanding college access and enrollment in the hopes of seeing more high school students complete a 2024-25 FAFSA, according to a press release.

The funds will be prioritized for organizations currently working with schools and districts, and those that have “deep ties with students and families which have the reach and capacity to help decrease barriers and increase” FAFSA submissions.

“We are determined to close the FAFSA completion gap,” said U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten. “The funding we’re announcing today will support states, districts, and community-based groups build capacity and leverage their power to ensure that every student who needs help paying for college turns in their FAFSA form.”

The U.S. Department of Education’s new program is a response to technical issues with the newly redesigned FAFSA application process that has left countless students across the country unsure of the amount of financial assistance they will be able to get to help pay for college.

Gov. Jim Justice recently issued a State of Emergency for education, noting West Virginia alone has seen a 40% decline in FAFSA applications.

“A lot of kids are sitting on the sidelines wondering not when the money can come, but ‘Am I going to be able to go to college?’” Justice said.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., recently said the FAFSA process is “totally messed up.”

“It’s just been a disaster,” she said.

College freshmen FAFSA applications [sic] are down 36%, applications from nontraditional students (students over age 25) are down 35% and applications from high school students are down “almost” 40%, Capito said.

“This is a catastrophic failure on the part of the Department of Ed,” she said. “They had four years to simplify the form and they simply failed, with inaccurate data coming out and very, very late and delayed.”