Our news blog offers the most relevant information available, including articles, events, and recent changes.
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Ensuring No Senior is Left Behind: Get your FAFSA Data Ducks in a Row!
Alessandra Cipriani-Detres, NCAN Program Associate With the school year having started, school counselors and advisors are gearing up to support their next class of high school seniors’ postsecondary plans and […]
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The New FAFSA: Summer Support is Available!
As the 2024-2025 FAFSA season stretches into the summer, Missouri FAFSA submissions are down about 15% versus last year. This means there are about 5,000 fewer high school seniors who […]
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Offer Summer Supports to Drive FAFSA, Combat Melt
Bill DeBaun, Senior Director and David Lanore, Program Manager, National College Attainment Network Some, but not nearly enough, high schools offer summer melt prevention services to assist with the myriad […]
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A Quick Guide to Financial Aid Award Letters
Ainsley Ash, National College Attainment Network In a typical FAFSA year, students would have already received admissions letters, and financial aid packages would soon follow. These offers – often referred […]
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2024-2025 FAFSA Completion Tips and Tricks
Here are some of the common challenges we’re seeing in FAFSA completion, and some suggested work-arounds. You can also check Federal Student Aid’s FAFSA Issue Alerts page for regular status updates, […]
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Supporting Adult Learners
Missouri has set an ambitious goal for 60% of adults ages 25 to 64 to attain a certificate or degree beyond a high school diploma by 2030. Missouri currently stands […]
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Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation
MOCAN is implementing a framework aimed at dismantling the false belief of a hierarchy of human value. In 2022, MOCAN was honored to become an organization participating in the Truth, […]
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FAFSA Soft Launch
On December 31st, Federal Student Aid started a soft launch of the 2024-2025 FAFSA form. During the soft launch, the form will be available periodically while Federal Student Aid monitors […]
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The Latest News and Updates about the 2024-2025 FAFSA
Federal Student Aid (FSA) announces a phased release for the 2024-2025 form. Here are the latest updates: Read the full Federal Student Aid Announcement here. Continue to check MOFAFSA.org for […]
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10 Things to Know About the 2024-2025 FAFSA
The 2024-2025 FAFSA will bring big changes that will impact your seniors and their families as they begin the application this fall. Here’s what you need to know as you’re […]
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MOCAN’s Response: Supreme Court Rejects Student Loan Forgiveness
Today’s ruling underscores the need to prioritize making postsecondary education affordable for low-income students and BILPOC students, those who can most benefit from the economic stability and social mobility a degree brings.
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MOCAN’s Response: Supreme Court Ends Affirmative Action in Higher Education
What cannot happen as a result of this decision, is the abandonment of efforts to connect Black and brown young adults to postsecondary education and the economic stability and social mobility that comes with a college degree.
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Advancing Racial Healing Through MOCAN’s TRHT Campus Center
This summer, a second MOCAN Team will participate in the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Center Institute. The Institute convenes equity-minded colleges and universities. It is held each […]
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Recapping Year 1 of the Purpose First Initiative
Earlier this month, representatives from institutions in the MOCAN Purpose First Initiative, and other campuses interested in the Purpose First (PF) work, participated the Purpose First Summer Institute. At the […]
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Making Community College Navigation Easier through Guided Pathways
Missouri community colleges are working to implement guided pathways holistically to increase completion.
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Use This High School Graduation To-Do List to Keep Supporting Students
Caroline Doglio, National College Attainment Network As the school year comes to a close, seniors will be out of the door and moving onto their next step. Each year, an […]
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Higher Education = Higher Earnings
How do we make postsecondary education more affordable for Missouri students? In February, MOCAN convened colleagues in its Network of Networks to develop priorities for increasing affordability for Missouri students. […]
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Award Letters Are Arriving, Do Your Students Understand Them?
Bill DeBaun, Senior Director of Data and Strategic Initiatives With College Decision Day rapidly approaching, students might need help navigating financial aid offers. These offers, often referred to as award […]
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Career Pathways & Apprenticeship Showcase Saturday, April 22nd in Sikeston!
Recent and soon-to-be high school graduates, adults looking for new career opportunities, and students in grades 6 through 12 are invited to a FREE Career Pathways & Apprenticeship Showcase event […]
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April is Scholarship Deadline Month!
April is deadline month on My Scholarship Central. 108 scholarships are currently open and accepting applications. 75% of those scholarships are due in April, with many deadlines on April 15 […]
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Addressing Summer Melt Starts in the Spring
Caroline Doglio, Program Associate Even though it might feel like summer is far away, for some students summer melt might already be starting. An estimated 10-40% of high school students […]
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Don’t Reinvent the Wheel: Learn from Other Schools’ Success Stories
Bill DeBaun, Senior Director, NCAN Before I jump into the rest of this awesome blog post, I’d love for you to save the dates for April 17-21. During this week, […]
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Start Your Year Off Right by Refreshing Your College and Career Toolbox
Caroline Doglio, Program Associate, National College Attainment Network As January approaches and you consider your new year’s resolutions, here at NCAN we find it to be a great time to […]
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As The Year Winds Down, Use NSC Data to Plan Next Steps
Bill DeBaun, Senior Director of Data and Strategic Initiatives The National Student Clearinghouse recently announced that its “effective date” for the fall 2022 semester was November 18. This means that […]
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Centering Value in Postsecondary Education
Postsecondary credentials are the proven path towards economic mobility, but recent polls show public perceptions of the value of postsecondary education are waning. Earlier this month, MOCAN hosted the “Centering […]
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AAC&U Announces 16 Institutions Hosting New Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers
MOCAN was announced as one of 16 partners accepted as part of the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Campus Centers through the American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC & […]
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Tackling Summer Melt in the Fall
Caroline Dogolio, National College Attainment Network Despite fall still being its early days, it’s never too early to think about freezing summer melt. It’s estimated that every year between 10-40% […]
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Hispanic Heritage Month Spotlight: Hispanic Development Fund
As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to an end, MOCAN is highlighting a program doing great work with Hispanic and Latinx students in Missouri, the Hispanic Development Fund. The mission of […]
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FAFSA Season is Here – Here’s How to Prepare
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 […]
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Public Service Loan Forgiveness
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 […]
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Federal Student Loan Forgiveness
UPDATE 11/29/22 – From Federal Student Aid “Courts have issued orders blocking our student debt relief program. As a result, at this time, we are not accepting applications. We are […]
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NCAN College & Career Readiness Fellows Announced
Mid-July the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) announced its fellows selected to participate in its College and Career Readiness Fellows Program. The Fellows Program aims to develop a cohort of […]
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Key Questions to Ask Before the School Year Starts
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 […]
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Supporting Racial Healing & Institutional Transformation
Missouri College and Career Attainment Network (MOCAN) recently participated in the American Association of College and Universities (AAC&U)’s 2022 Institute on Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT). The Institute focused […]
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Use Fit and Match to Increase Students’ Success
Bill DeBaun, National College Attainment Network Among students who entered college in the fall of 2015, about 60% completed a degree or certificate six years later. Just three out of […]
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Putting Purpose First
Fifty people representing 21 postsecondary institutions, and representatives from the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development (MDHEWD) came together this month at the MOCAN Purpose First Summer Institute. […]
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Solidify K12-Higher Education Connections to Firm Up Students’ Next Steps
Bill DeBaun, National College Attainment Network There are few more poignant moments than when students cross the stage and receive their high school diplomas. At that moment, families, district and […]
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Purpose First: Increasing Equity in Career Preparation for Missouri Students
MOCAN’s Postsecondary Equity Network (PEN) is excited to launch an innovative three-year initiative to eliminate equity gaps in degree completion and increase career preparation for students of color and students […]
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Promoting Institutional Transformation through Racial Healing
MOCAN is honored to be the first nonprofit organization accepted to participate in the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)’s Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Center Institute. […]
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The Power of State Networks
Listen to MOCAN Executive Director Laura Winter speak on the power of state networks for the Lumina Foundation podcast, “Today’s Students, Tomorrow’s Talent”. Other guests include colleagues from Michigan College […]
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National ACPA conference highlights
Postsecondary Equity Network partners Andre Thorn of the University of Missouri-Columbia, Trent Ball and Tatianna Hanna of Southeast Missouri State University, and Kristin Copeland of St. Louis Community College recently […]
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