California sees a boost in high school students completing college financial aid applications, state officials say

Student aid officials in California say there’s been a nearly 9% increase in high school students completing applications for financial aid compared to last year.

That’s more than 24,000 applications.

Why it matters

Universities use financial aid data to calculate how much students will pay to attend each campus. Based on that information, schools make offers to prospective students, which can be grants, loans, scholarships or work-study.

For many students — especially those who are the first in their families to pursue higher education and those from working class backgrounds — financial aid packages often determine where they’ll go to college.

Until recently, the financial aid completion rate for students in California was lagging behind last year’s. According to the commission, that’s because of ongoing debates about the value of college education, the late release of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, and fears about how the Trump administration might use students’ personal data (particularly among those who have at least one undocumented parent).

The backstory

To boost completion rates, the Student Aid Commission extended the application deadline by 30 days in late February. The commission and its partners also hosted more than 1,000 “Cash for College” workshops, where students and families learned about the types of aid that are available and what deadlines to keep in mind.

The agency also allowed U.S. citizens in mixed-immigration-status families to complete the California Dream Act Application, which was created to provide state-based financial aid for undocumented students.

The commission received 57,000 additional applications during the extension period between March and April. The number of high school seniors who completed the Dream Act application also increased, from 3,597 last spring to 6,329 to date.

Jessica Moldoff, the agency’s deputy director of research, analysis, and program innovation, said this is because many students in mixed immigration status families opted to complete this application instead of the FAFSA.

What’s next

In a webinar Thursday morning, student aid commissioners, school counselors and other advocates across the state said they will now focus on encouraging prospective community college students to apply for financial aid by the state’s Sept. 2 deadline.

To help those students navigate the process, the state Student Aid Commission will host workshops in-person and online.