FAFSA Completion by High School and Public School District 
As the cost of college continues to increase , financial aid becomes ever more important. While many factors are involved in the decision to attend college , a strong correlation exists between FAFSA completion and college enrollment. Previously , high schools relied on self - reported surveys to estimate their FAFSA completion rate , and that data can be inaccurate. For this reason , Federal Student Aid is providing high schools with current data about their FAFSA submissions and completions so that high schools can track their progress and help to ensure that their students complete a FAFSA. A completed FAFSA allows the U.S. Department of Education to determine a potential student's eligibility for federal student aid a key factor in families' college decisions. The data included in the attached charts reflect the number of submitted and completed FAFSAs among first - time filing applicants no older than 19 at the cutoff date who will have received their high school diploma by the start of the school year to which they are applying for aid. For each high school , the number of submitted and completed applications is reported for the current application cycle 2020 - 2021 and the same time period last year for the previous application cycle 2019 - 2020. The data is displayed in spreadsheets broken down by state or territory that include the school name and city of the high school. Additional tabs within each spreadsheet now include estimates of public school district FAFSA completion rates for both cycles as well as state level maps presenting this data. Importantly , the district level data only includes applicants reporting public high schools and does not consider private schools that are geographically within a district. Below , you can select a state or territory from the drop - down menu to view its data, get more information about the data assumptions, or find answers to the most frequently asked q

user: I'd like to know how many people at my school have applied for Federal Student Aid.

assistant: Are you planning on going to college?

user: I'm not sure yet but I probably won't be able to afford it.

assistant: Are there other factors involved in the decision to attend college besides financial concerns?

user: Yes I'm weighing other factors like not having time to take 3 years off of my life to do this.

assistant: We have found that there exists a strong correlation between FAFSA completion and college enrolment.

user: Is this information accurate?

assistant: Previously, high schools relied on self-reported surveys to estimate their FAFSA completion rate, but such information is not always accurate. So Federal Student Aid is now providing high schools with current data about their FAFSA submissions and completions

user: Are there really that many more people applying for and receiving Federal Student Aid?

assistant: Certainly, as the cost of college continues to increase, financial aid becomes ever more important.

user: And this information concerns high school students?

assistant: Older files use the previous age assumption that applicants be no older than 18. All other files use the current assumption that applicants be no older than 19 years of age.