Rhode Island schools come up with fresh ways to get seniors to apply for federal financial aid
PROVIDENCE The pandemic has wrenched so many high school students off course, but one of the most devastating side effects has been the drop in federal student aid applications, considered a must for students from low-income families.
Rhode Island has seen a 12.5% decline in use of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, compared with a drop 10% nationally. That said, Rhode Island has the seventh-highest rate of completing the application nationwide, ranking right behind Massachusetts and Connecticut.
A 2018 study by NerdWallet estimated that by not completing the FAFSA, Rhode Island students left $6 million in federal Pell Grants “on the table.”