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FAFSA Season is Here – Here’s How to Prepare

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College Campus

Caroline Doglio, Program Associate at National College Attainment Network

With October comes all the exciting autumnal things, trees changing colors, Halloween, and the opening of FAFSA season. As FAFSA numbers continue to grow, getting closer to pre-pandemic numbers slowly but surely, we’re sure schools remain eager to raise those numbers even higher. NCAN has a robust library of resources that we are happy to provide in these efforts.

The Class of 2022 began to show signs of rebounding from the pandemic. FAFSA completion grew 4.6% by this past July 1 nationally, though we are still not at pre-pandemic numbers. This growth represents approximately 52.1% of seniors in 2022 completing the FAFSA. By comparison, the pre-pandemic class of 2019 finished at 53.8%. Alabama and Texas were standout states in terms of year-over-year growth, and, notably, both implemented an universal FAFSA policy this past academic year.

District and schools, and the myriad professionals that make them run, have their work cut out for them. There have never been more demands on counselors, teachers, district and school leaders, and the other caring adults that pave the way for students toward college and career readiness. The past three years have been devastatingly difficult, and the prospect of helping students complete the FAFSA, a notoriously not-fun form, may be daunting.

It doesn’t have to be. We’re here to help.

This month NCAN will begin sending out our first of this cycle’s monthly reminder emails. These emails are geared towards K-12 practitioners and supply suggested to-dos depending on where in the cycle we are, as well as help in catching up if needed or what to look ahead for. Those interested can sign up for these emails is here.

These emails can be used conjointly with NCAN’s FAFSA resource library, which has a monthly calendar of action items as well as resources on actives that can promote FAFSA completion such as: 

  • A FAFSA planning calendar
  • Info on laying the groundwork and engaging external partners
  • Completing the actual FAFSA form
  • Training and capacity building
  • Communication
  • Accessing and using data

Need more on how to put together an effective FAFSA completion campaign? We’ve got that, too.

By the way, NCAN’s Form Your Future FAFSA Tracker, which counts completions at the national, state, city, district, and school levels, will return for the sixth straight year in early October.

More specific to this FAFSA cycle, FSA is introducing multi-factor authentication, or as they’re calling it, “two-step verification.” NCAN understands that this introduction will likely create barriers for students located in places with limited Internet or cell phone reception or in school districts that have restrictive cell phone and Internet policies. These barriers may bring a different array of questions to practitioners than in years past. To help prepare for this adjustment, NCAN has an article outlining the process, with tips and resources from FSA.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

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One year ago, the federal government issued a waiver for many of the requirements for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. These changes expanded the number of borrowers eligible for forgiveness, but are only available until October 31, 2022. Click the image below to take a short eligibility quiz, and keep reading for more information from Federal Student Aid.

What is the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program?

PSLF is a loan forgiveness program for borrowers who meet certain criteria including working full time for a qualifying employer (government or non-profit), making 120 qualifying payments, having direct loans, and using an income-driven repayment plan.  Borrowers who meet the qualifications can have the remaining balance of their loans forgiven.

What PSLF requirements are different under the current waiver?

Changes until October 31 include credit for Perkins Loans and FFEL Loans, repayment under any plan, repayment before consolidation, late payments, Teacher Loan Forgiveness counting toward PSLF, and you do not have to currently be working for an eligible employer. Click here to see all changes under the current waiver.

How do I know if my employer qualifies?

Government work at any level (federal, state, local, or tribal) and most non-profit work qualifies.  This includes public school teachers, those that work at public colleges and universities, and government employees. Serving in AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and the military may also qualify. Use this tool from Federal Student Aid to look up your employer.

What loans can be forgiven?

Federal, direct loans qualify for PSLF.  Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL) and Federal Perkins Loans do NOT qualify for PSLF. However, you can consolidate those loans into a Direct Consolidation Loan to become eligible.  Private loans and Parent PLUS loans do NOT qualify for PSLF.  To find out what type of loans you have, log in to Federal Student Aid.

How many payments do I need to make?

You must make 120 monthly payments to qualify for PSLF. Under the current waiver, payments that would not have previously counted towards the 120 payments may now count. The suspended payments through COVID-19 also count toward the 120 required payments.

Is this different than the $10,000-$20,000 loan forgiveness recently announced by President Biden?

YES! PSLF is a program with specific requirements and you must apply to receive the benefits.

I think I qualify, what should I do next?

You can use the PSLF Help Tool from Federal Student Aid to confirm your eligibility and complete and submit the PSLF form.

Act now to take advantage of the expanded eligibility under the waiver that expires October 31, 2022.

Key Questions to Ask Before the School Year Starts

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Bill DeBaun, Senior Director of Data and Strategic Initiatives

I get it: no one wants to talk about to-do lists in August. For many, August is when we’re clinging to the last few weeks of summer vacation and pointedly not talking about the start of the impending school year.  

Still, sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, the school doors will also open soon enough, and when they do, we should be ready to meet and prepare our students for pursuing college and career pathways.  

August is a time for rest and relaxation, but also readiness. In that spirit, here are four questions that district and school leaders and staff, school counselors, and anyone else in students’ orbit should ponder and prepare for as they turn toward the start of the 2022-23 academic year and some key resources for helping to answer that question. 

  1. Who’s focused on college career readiness? Who else should be? Each district and school doesn’t necessarily have personnel specifically focused on postsecondary pathways. Even in those districts and schools who do, everyone who should have a seat at the table doesn’t always get one. District-level staff, school leaders and counselors, teachers, community-based partners, students, and parents all have a role to play in helping students explore their options and pursue their next, best step. It’s important to ask whether you’ve got a college and career readiness team and, if not, to work toward convening one to collaborate on a plan. 
    Key Resource: UnlockED’s Harnessing the Power of Postsecondary Data Building a Student-Centered, Data-Driven Strategy, see: “Establish a Coalition” 
  1. How am I getting feedback from students about their postsecondary plans? Most districts and schools are familiar with delivering senior exit surveys, but is this really the ideal timing to collect that information? By the time seniors fill out that survey, there’s very little window for schools and staff to shift their plans. Why not collect that data in the fall of senior year, or even better yet, the spring of junior year to get the insights early and connect students with the best available resources and supports according to their responses? Surveys often get eyerolls because there aren’t good plans for what to do with the resulting data, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Keep the questions lean and focus on the ones whose answers are actionable. The surveys needn’t be exclusive to seniors. Getting information about students’ aspirations, questions, and needs as early as freshman year extends plenty of time to staff to get students what they need. 

Key Resources: Iowa College Aid’s Beginning-of-Year Student Survey; College Advising Corps Career Aspiration Survey; Broward County Schools Senior Exit Survey 

  1. Where are my college-bound students likely to matriculate? Data from the National Student Clearinghouse’s StudentTracker for High Schools ($595/high school/year) service provides subscribers with the top 25 enrollment destinations for up to their past eight high school graduating classes. Most students’ matriculation patterns are place-based; that is, students tend to go to college near where they went to high school. Conventional wisdom runs strong in high schools about where students go, but it’s always helpful to check the data for confirmation. Once you’ve got a better sense of the high school-to-college pipeline, ask yourself some more questions: 1. Do I have a good relationship with these institutions? If yes, how can they continue to help me with activities like FAFSA completion? If not, how can I promote one? 2. How do my students do when they get to these institutions? If not so well, is there an alternative that gives them a better chance of graduating? 

Key Resource: Answering Key Questions with Your NSC Student Tracker for High School Reports 

  1. What does my plan for FAFSA completion look like this academic year? Sure, we’re in August, but October 1, the opening date of the next FAFSA cycle, will be here before we know it. Some students will complete the FAFSA by osmosis, but most won’t, so which kinds of activities can your district or school engage in to increase the number of students who do? NCAN has a whole resource library dedicated to this topic, which includes planning calendars, communications strategies, and more. Not sure about where to access student-level FAFSA data in your state? We’ve got a handy list here. 

Key Resources: College & Career Readiness Calendar for High Schools; NCAN’s FAFSA Resource Library 

Going for the high score in college and career readiness and interested in more activities? NCAN has a comprehensive calendar that suggests activities and resources for every month of the year. Of course, NCAN is also here to help so feel free to email me at [email protected]. There are other questions that are important to ask, of course, beyond the above, but it is still August after all, so we can file this under “a good start.” Stay tuned for more suggestions and resources in the coming months.