{"id":5395,"date":"2021-02-04T18:32:03","date_gmt":"2021-02-04T18:32:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prichard-backup.com\/July\/2021\/02\/04\/kentuckys-fafsa-completion-rate-is-lagging-prior-year\/"},"modified":"2022-09-27T19:49:46","modified_gmt":"2022-09-27T19:49:46","slug":"kentuckys-fafsa-completion-rate-is-lagging-prior-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prichard-backup.com\/July\/kentuckys-fafsa-completion-rate-is-lagging-prior-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Kentucky\u2019s FAFSA Completion Rate is Lagging Prior Year"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text animation=&#8221;fadeInRight&#8221;]According to the most recent <a href=\"https:\/\/kystats.ky.gov\/Latest\/HSFR\">Kentucky High School Feedback Reports<\/a> produced by KY STATS, the statewide rate for public high school graduates in 2019 to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) was 70%.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text animation=&#8221;fadeInRight&#8221;]Moreover, Kentucky has consistently been above average nationally for FAFSA completion. According to data from the <a href=\"https:\/\/formyourfuture.org\/fafsa-tracker\/\">National College Access Network<\/a>, Kentucky ranked 12<sup>th<\/sup> nationally for completions in the 2020-2021 cycle with 66.3% of high school seniors completing the FAFSA.\u00a0 <strong>Currently we rank 7<sup>th<\/sup> nationally for completions for the 2021-2022 cycle with 40.2% of high school seniors completing the FAFSA through January \u2013 but this is down 19% compared to the same time last year.\u00a0 While we remain ahead of the overall national rate of 35.2% currently, our year-to-year decline is larger than the national drop of 10%.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text animation=&#8221;slideInLeft&#8221;]The U.S. Department of Education has a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/studentaid.ed.gov\/sa\/about\/data-center\/student\/application-volume\/fafsa-completion-high-school\">data tool<\/a>\u00a0that allows students, families and school\u00a0administrators to track in real time the FAFSA completions in their high schools and school districts.\u00a0 Below is the completion rate map for Kentucky for the 2021-2022 FAFSA cycle.\u00a0 This tool can help inform school and community leaders about how their outreach efforts are succeeding.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text animation=&#8221;slideInLeft&#8221;]<strong><u>Why Don\u2019t Students Fill Out FAFSA?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>According to research from the <a href=\"https:\/\/nces.ed.gov\/pubs2018\/2018061.pdf\">National Center for Education Statistics<\/a>, there are a number of reasons why students and their families may not complete the FAFSA.\u00a0 As seen in the table below, these reasons ranged from lack of information to concerns about affordability.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; image=&#8221;13851&#8243; animation=&#8221;slideInUp&#8221;][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text animation=&#8221;slideInLeft&#8221;]This same research shows variations in reasons for not completing by level of parental education, race, and socioeconomic status.\u00a0 Some highlights from overall findings also include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Larger percentages of White and Hispanic students did not complete (25%) compared to Black students (19%)<\/li>\n<li>A larger percentage of students in the lowest socioeconomic quintile (29 percent) did not complete the FAFSA compared to students in the middle three-fifths and in the highest fifth of SES (23 and 22 percent, respectively)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text animation=&#8221;slideInLeft&#8221;]<strong><u>What are Current Efforts to Encourage FAFSA Completion in Kentucky?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There are a number of resources available to help guide students and their families through the FAFSA process from\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kheaa.com\/website\/kheaa\/pay_fafsa?main=1\">Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority<\/a> (KHEAA)\u00a0and the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/studentaid.ed.gov\/sa\/fafsa\">U.S. Department of Education.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>KHEAA maintains a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kheaa.com\/website\/kheaa\/counselors?main=6\">comprehensive outreach program<\/a> to support students in understanding how to go and pay for college.\u00a0 This includes 13 statewide outreach counselors and an additional 30 college coachers serving in high-need high schools. \u00a0\u00a0Also, the <a href=\"http:\/\/knowhow2goky.org\/\">KnowHowToGoKY<\/a> website provides a comprehensive step-by-step guide for students and families to navigate through their postsecondary options.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text animation=&#8221;slideInLeft&#8221;]Additionally, many school districts employ <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fcps.net\/Page\/7065\">college &amp; career readiness coaches<\/a> as part of their counseling programs.\u00a0 Districts also often host <a href=\"http:\/\/rockcastle.kyschools.us\/blog\/tag\/financial-aid\/\">FAFSA completion events<\/a> to encourage and support students and families in completing.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; image=&#8221;13853&#8243; animation=&#8221;slideInUp&#8221;][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text animation=&#8221;slideInLeft&#8221;]<strong><u>Why is the FAFSA Important?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The FAFSA &#8211; the Free Application for Federal Student Aid &#8211; is the gateway to financial aid for most students pursuing postsecondary education. This includes federal aid such as student loans and Pell grants, need-based state aid administered by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA), and a variety of\u00a0assistance provided\u00a0directly by postsecondary institutions.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text animation=&#8221;slideInLeft&#8221;]With\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ticas.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/classof2018.pdf\"> significant reliance on debt to cover college costs<\/a>, it is more important than ever for students and families\u00a0to\u00a0complete the FAFSA to access\u00a0financial aid that\u00a0will\u00a0assist in making postsecondary education more affordable.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text animation=&#8221;slideInLeft&#8221;]FAFSA completion is <a href=\"https:\/\/collegeaccess.org\/page\/WhyInvestFAFSA\">a significant indicator<\/a> of postsecondary enrollment.\u00a0 Plus, those who do not miss out on the opportunity to access a more affordable postsecondary education.\u00a0 <strong>According to one recent\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nerdwallet.com\/blog\/2018-fafsa-study\/\"><strong>analysis,<\/strong><\/a><strong>\u00a0Kentucky students potentially miss out on over $30 million in federal Pell grants by\u00a0not completing the FAFSA \u2013 grants worth up to $6,345 annually per student.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Critically, Kentucky has seen an overall decline in its <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/kystats.ky.gov\/Latest\/HSFR\"><strong>in-state college going rate<\/strong><\/a><strong> as well as for student groups \u2013 including low-income, black, and Hispanic students.\u00a0 This should be a call to action for policy makers, campuses, and communities to expend every effort to ensure students are aware of the opportunities they have to pursue postsecondary education.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; image=&#8221;13896&#8243; animation=&#8221;slideInUp&#8221; el_class=&#8221;chart3&#8243;][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text animation=&#8221;slideInLeft&#8221;]In Kentucky, the main\u00a0need-based, state-financial aid programs require a FAFSA and are funded on a first-come, first-serve basis.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kheaa.com\/website\/kheaa\/cap?main=1\"><strong>College Access Program\u00a0(CAP)\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>provides up to $2,000 annually for undergraduate students to attend eligible public and private colleges and universities, proprietary schools and technical colleges.<\/li>\n<li>The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kheaa.com\/website\/kheaa\/ktg?main=1\"><strong>Kentucky Tuition Grant (KTG)<\/strong><\/a>provides up to $3,000 annually for aid to help Kentucky residents attend in-state eligible private colleges.<\/li>\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kheaa.com\/website\/kheaa\/work_ready?main=1\"><strong>Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship Program (WRKS<\/strong><\/a><strong>)<\/strong> provides \u201clast dollar\u201d financial assistance after other federal and state aid is applied up to the equivalent of in-state tuition and fees at the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. This program provides aid for postsecondary students seeking an industry recognized certificate, diploma, or Associate of Applied Science degree in a high-demand workforce sector.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to the most recent Kentucky High School Feedback Reports produced by KY STATS, the statewide rate for public high school graduates in 2019 to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) was 70%.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":5396,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"passster_activate_protection":false,"passster_protect_child_pages":"","passster_protection_type":"password","passster_password":"","passster_activate_overwrite_defaults":"","passster_headline":"","passster_instruction":"","passster_placeholder":"","passster_button":"","passster_id":"","passster_activate_misc_settings":"","passster_redirect_url":"","passster_hide":"no","passster_area_shortcode":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ed"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prichard-backup.com\/July\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prichard-backup.com\/July\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prichard-backup.com\/July\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prichard-backup.com\/July\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prichard-backup.com\/July\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5395"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/prichard-backup.com\/July\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5395\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6045,"href":"https:\/\/prichard-backup.com\/July\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5395\/revisions\/6045"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prichard-backup.com\/July\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prichard-backup.com\/July\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prichard-backup.com\/July\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prichard-backup.com\/July\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}