FAFSA: A Gatekeeper to Postsecondary Access
Imagine winning the lottery and refusing to redeem your ticket. You would leave potentially life-changing sums of money on the table. In a sense, that is what happens when high school graduates do not complete their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Each year, thousands of students fail to complete the FAFSA, leaving nearly $3.4 billion in financial aid unclaimed. For low-income, first-generation, and BIPOC students (including dual-language learners and students from mixed immigration status households), the FAFSA can be that lottery ticket that changes the trajectory of their lives.
A prerequisite to obtaining an affordable or even debt free degree, the FAFSA is a form students and families must complete to access need-based and merit-based scholarships, and to secure part of the more than $120 billion in financial aid the government provides annually to pay for college (2-year, 4-year, or technical programs). However, securing financial aid is not the only reason to apply.