Giving Compass' Take:
- Hallie Busta reports that low-income and minority students have filled out the FAFSA application at lower rates than their peers.
- This data suggests that people from these marginalized groups may. be less likely to attend college in the Fall of 2021.
- Read about providing college courses to low-income high school students.
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Four in five high school seniors have completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, according to a new survey by consultancy EAB. It polled 15,291 students, 40% of whom were seniors.
However, the share of low-income students who planned to file a FAFSA but had not yet done so was double that of higher-income students who said the same.
The findings follow earlier data suggesting enrollment this coming fall could lag for low-income and first-generation students, along with those from underrepresented minority groups.
Applying for financial aid is considered to be a strong indicator that a student will enroll in college. Additionally, higher ed experts worry the pandemic's outsized impact on low-income and Black and Latino communities, in particular, could impact college-going among those students.
Of EAB's sample, 20% of students were first-generation, 23% were Hispanic/Latinx and 14% were Black. Around 22% said their families made $60,000 or less a year, though 42% of respondents were unsure how much their families earned.
Read the full article about FAFSA applications by Hallie Busta at Education Dive.