This audio is generated automatically. Please let me know if you have any comments.
Diving overview:
-
West Virginia Governor Jim Justice declared a state of emergency Last week, ongoing issues with the Free Application for federal student aid led to a temporary suspension of the requirement that high school students fill out the form to qualify for the state's largest college financial aid program.
-
This move is supported by the U.S. Department of Education. Faced with a tumultuous launch Update your FAFSA. Due to difficulties with the new form, West Virginia's high school FAFSA completion rate has decreased by nearly 40 percent, according to a statement from the governor's office.
-
Several other states require high school students to complete the FAFSA. to graduate. Among them is Illinois, Where lawmakers worry A bill to lift the requirement for the 2023-24 school year.
Dive Insights:
Complications from the Department of Education's revised FAFSA continue to place a burden on families and states alike.
“I don’t believe any other state in the country has gone to this,” Justice said in a statement last week. “We cannot and will not tolerate money being left on the table that could help our students continue their education.” . .
Justice said the state has stepped up outreach, including holding more than 200 FAFSA workshops statewide, but added, “There is only so much outreach the federal government can do when students are unable to fill out the form due to issues that only the federal government can control.” “There is,” he said.
Currently, eight states, including Alabama, California, Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, New Hampshire, and Texas, require completion of the FAFSA as a prerequisite for high school graduation. National University Admissions Network. Seven other states plan to implement similar requirements over the next four years. West Virginia has not enacted such a policy, but requires completion of state financial assistance programs.
Last March, Louisiana, the first state to implement a FAFSA graduation policy, decided to: repeal that requirement As of the 2024-25 school year. The change occurred after Louisiana Superintendent Cade Brumley WWNO reported that state school board members were told the policy was unfair to students.
“You don’t have to wait for your parents to fill out the FAFSA or FAFSA opt-out form in order to graduate,” Brumley said.
Studies have shown that these policies can help increase states' FAFSA completion rates. For example, in Louisiana, Alabama, and Texas, the number of FAFSA completions increased by about 25% after the new requirements were implemented. Higher Education Dive Reported.
To alleviate recent FAFSA challenges at the federal level, the Department of Education recently 50 Million Dollar Effort To help families amid the failed rollout of new forms. The investment will go to organizations already working with schools and districts to improve college access and enrollment.