East Valley high school seniors seeking scholarships and other tuition help for college got a helping hand in filling out applications last week as 50 trained volunteers manned the “Mesa
Hoping to avoid more undergraduate enrollment dips, college counselors have hustled students through application cycles, cuing new urgency in completing forms for financial aid.
College-access groups are offering innovative ways to tackle the complex Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that most American students must complete to finance their college education. Approaches to overcoming barriers include drive-thru help, virtual guidance, hotlines, and incentives like gift cards and free meals.
Why We Wrote This
How is the pandemic altering equitable access to college? New initiatives strive to ensure that college-bound students aren’t held back by missing paperwork.
Less than half of the high school class of 2021 completed the FAFSA by April 23, a 6.1% drop compared with this time last year, according to the National College Attainment Network. Low-income and high-minority schools show larger declines in completion than other schools. Still, the gap is narrowin