Over 1.2 million high school graduates did not fill out the FAFSA, leaving an estimated $2.3 billion in Pell Grant money — around $3,583 per student — unused.
After this year’s well-reported Free Application for Federal Student Aid challenges, you might guess these numbers are from the class of 2024. Guess again. This data is from the class of 2017. And by 2021, the estimated amount of unclaimed Pell Grant dollars increased by 60% amid the global pandemic. We’re blaming this year’s 10% decline in FAFSA completions on the fumbled rollout of the new form, but the problem of students leaving massive sums of money on the table is nothing new.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Despite its many flaws, the FAFSA overhaul was a step in the right direction toward expanding access to financial aid. However, students and families still have misconceptions and a general lack of awareness about financial assistance to pay for college or trade school. Moreover, the new form does not address an ongoing structural challenge facing high school students nationwide: the insufficient time and resources devoted to postsecondary advising.
In a 2023 survey of school administrators, “postsecondary education readiness” ranked second to last in a list of 17 key spending priorities. We also know that the average student receives only 38 minutes of advising throughout high school, mostly because of significantly under-resourced school counseling offices. With an average 385:1 student-to-counselor ratio, there is little time to address the complexities of postsecondary advising appropriately. Thus, students often find themselves at the finish line of their senior year facing the biggest decisions of their lives without sufficient guidance.
Research shows that personal one-on-one assistance or advising is the most effective strategy for increasing FAFSA completion. What if developing career aspirations, engaging in work-based experiences and identifying pathways for continued education were part of the core curriculum like math, English and science? Consistently and systematically prioritizing postsecondary success has to become an integral part of the high school experience.
However, with so many competing priorities, schools shouldn’t have to handle postsecondary improvements independently. The National College Attainment Network reports that when districts partner with external organizations like OneGoal, they can prioritize postsecondary planning and preparation for all students.
By leveraging the power of adult and peer relationships to offer support and guidance, OneGoal alone has helped more than 75,000 students nationwide. Through our programming, students discover their purpose, which is attuned to their aspirations. With ongoing personal advising, they are more likely to come to school each day, graduate from high school and enroll in college. These results prove that there are both immediate and long-term benefits when students see clear and viable pathways to opportunity.
This year, 80% of OneGoal students completed the FAFSA, compared with the national average of 48%. OneGoal school partners already have practices, tools and support for high-quality advising, so the impact of the FAFSA challenges in 2024 has been far less consequential. Our students across the country and here in Atlanta are less vulnerable to system failures through the power of integrating postsecondary advising into the day-to-day business of our schools.
Our public education system should fully equip all students with the training necessary for careers that provide a family-sustaining wage. However, making higher education accessible and affordable will require massive reform. While we figure out how to accomplish those reforms, we need to do much more right now to help students succeed in the system as it exists today. If it’s not FAFSA frustration, pandemics or another barrier, new challenges preventing young people from achieving their goals are always around the corner. Having the infrastructure and support to guide high schoolers through postsecondary planning is the best way to avoid future obstacles.
Melissa Connelly is chief executive officer of OneGoal, a nonprofit that works high schools, school districts and states to provide high-quality college and career planning solutions.
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