Amid a troubled overhaul of the federal process for applying for student financial aid, the share of Wisconsin high school seniors completing the application so far this year has plummeted. The largest declines have been at schools with greater proportions of marginalized students. While the gap may be narrowing as students near commitment…

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the application that postsecondary students complete to receive federal grants, work-study, and loans; as well as some state and institutional grants, and private financial aid. In 2019-2020, 17.7 million undergraduates filed a FAFSA and in 2021-2022, full-time equivalent students received an…

This report is submitted pursuant to Education Article § 24-703.1, Annotated Code of Maryland, which requires the Maryland Longitudinal Data System (MLDS) Center to annually produce, on or before December 15th of each year, a dashboard on foster care youth and their participation in higher education in Maryland. Specifically, the requirement…

The "Student FAFSA Completion Report" (2023) is submitted pursuant to Education Article § 7-212, Annotated Code of Maryland, which requires the Maryland Longitudinal Data System (MLDS) Center to annually produce, on or before December 15th of each year, beginning in 2023 and ending in 2028, on the submission and completion of the Free…

Approximately 43 million Americans collectively owe $1.5 trillion in federal student loan debt, but students aren't the only ones drowning in student debt. Increasingly, parents, particularly Black parents, are taking out Parent PLUS (Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students) loans and putting off retirement to help their children pay for college.…

After decades of frustration with increasingly complex college financial aid policies, a nationwide shift toward "free college" programs has gained momentum. New York State joined the free college movement in 2017, when Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his goal to make public higher education tuition-free for most students during his…

To meet the demands of its current and future workforce, Colorado needs to increase postsecondary attainment. To do this, we must help more students find affordable pathways to postsecondary education so they have the confidence to enroll. One way to increase enrollment in higher education, particularly for low- and middle-income students, is to…

In 2020, American society encountered a flashpoint. Racism, both individual and systemic, was laid bare by an environment in which racist attitudes and beliefs became prevalent, by violence against Black Americans, and by the COVID-19 pandemic. This report seeks to reimagine college admission and financial aid through an equity lens. The report…

Financial aid opens the door to a college degree and makes higher education a real possibility for students from all racial and ethnic backgrounds. Student knowledge about financial aid availability and application processes, however, varies substantially by race, ethnicity, and income. Despite belonging to families with lower-than-average family…

Approximately 4.2 million youth and young adults experience homelessness on their own every year. These young people -- referred to as "unaccompanied homeless youth" under federal education law -- face unique barriers to accessing and completing higher education. Unaccompanied homeless youth are not living with, or supported by, a parent…

As our country is on the brink of a new presidential administration and new Congress, amid a global pandemic, the importance of investing in and strengthening our nation's postsecondary education system has never been more important. Concerns over college access, affordability, and transparency are colliding with the growing demand in the…

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is an important application that prospective college students must complete to qualify for state and federal aid. This report describes how school district FAFSA completion rates are related to district-level poverty rates across and within states. Given that students from low-income backgrounds…

"Paving the Path to College Aid: Expanding Access to the Cal Grant Program" looks at promising practices for increasing Cal Grant application rates, including the initial implementation of AB 2160, a new law introduced by Assembly member Phil Ting and sponsored by Ed Trust-West, to streamline the Cal Grant application process by…

Each year, there are millions of students nationwide who are selected for this audit-like process after completing their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). In fact, over half of Pell Grant-eligible FAFSA applicants were selected for verification for the 2016-17 FAFSA filing cycle. That's over 5.4 million students who spent hours…

Student debt balances are ballooning, posing a serious threat to the financial security of millions of borrowers across the country. In the last 15 years, total outstanding student debt has grown six-fold and now hovers at over $1.5 trillion. Student debt has significant short- and long-term impacts on individuals, their communities, and the…