The National College Access Network (NCAN) has
announced that it will award Manchester a FAFSA Completion Challenge grant.
Manchester is one of 22 cities across the U.S., and the only one in New
England, selected to receive the award.
Co-principal
investigators, school district superintendent Dr. Debra Livingston and Kathleen
Mullin, vice provost for partnerships and strategic initiatives at the
University of New Hampshire, said the $48,590 grant will be used to support
efforts to raise the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
completion rates among the class of 2017 by at least 5% over the class of 2015.
FAFSA completion
is strongly associated with postsecondary enrollment and successful
postsecondary student outcomes — 90% of high school seniors who complete the
FAFSA attend college directly from high school, compared to just 55% of FAFSA
non-completers. Millions of students who are eligible for aid fail to file the
FAFSA each year, leaving billions of unclaimed dollars that could support their
postsecondary education. Fewer than 47% of Manchester’s 2014-15 seniors
completed their FAFSA.
NCAN established
the FAFSA Completion Challenge to leverage the two changes that President Obama
announced last September, which makes applying for aid in the fall of 2016
easier and better timed for low-income students.
The first change moves
the FAFSA completion date up from January 1 to October 1. The earlier
deadline will enable high school seniors to complete the FAFSA and receive
their federal financial aid eligibility before college applications are due.
This shift should encourage more low-income students to complete college
applications, because they will know that a Pell Grant is available to help
fund their education.
The second change
is that FAFSA will begin accepting tax data from the most recently filed
return, rather than the current requirement of tax forms from the calendar year
of application. This will alleviate much of the confusion and the resulting
delays that currently occur, as most families will have already completed their
tax forms prior to starting the FAFSA and will not rely on estimated, and
possibly inaccurate, information.
The NCAN grant
will allow Manchester to staff a UNH student access team at all four district
high schools to support students with FAFSA and college applications, as well
as conduct training for guidance counselors on FAFSA changes and tracking
student data. A portion of the funds will pay for transportation to allow high
school students to attend college access activities at UNH Manchester’s campus.
The city also
will use the grant to establish a website for FAFSA information, and conduct a
contest for Manchester School District middle and high school students to
design a logo for the site. Manchester students who submit a completed FAFSA
will have their college application fee waived at UNH Manchester and Manchester
Community College.
Manchester’s
success in the challenge could result in additional funding to support this
initiative. In September 2017, NCAN will make three to five awards totaling
$300,000 to the grant-funded city that demonstrates the:
·
greatest percentage growth in high school FAFSA completions for the
Class of 2017, compared to the Class of 2015.
·
highest high school FAFSA completion rate for the Class of 2017.
·
most innovative or collaborative FAFSA completion strategy and/or
partnership with postsecondary institutions.
“We look forward
to working with our community partners to increase the FAFSA completion rate in
Manchester,” said Dr. Livingston. “It’s an exciting way to make sure all of our
students have every opportunity for success in post-secondary education.”
As a result of
this city-wide effort, educators also expect to see a rise in the district’s
high school graduation rate, which ultimately helps to makes a positive impact
on the community.
“When students
choose to stay in school to reach their educational goals in any field or
career, they become valuable citizens and members of our workforce,” said
Mullin. “Manchester’s social and economic health will benefit.”
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