Questions and Answers About FAFSA Completion Data 
Below are questions we ve heard about the Completion by High School and Public School District">data we provide on FAFSA completion by high school. 

Basics 


Missing or Duplicate High Schools 


Low Completion Totals 


Technical and Analytical 


Basics 


What is the source of data? 
The source of the data is the U.S. Department of Education's Central Processing System. 

What years of Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) submission and completion data are available? 
Federal Student Aid releases data for the current 2018 19 cycle and provides a side - by - side comparison of the previous 2017 18 cycle. We also have an archive that contains data files from the 2017 18 cycle comparing it to the past 2016 17 cycle. Each file has the previous cycle data through the same date in the prior year as well as the 6-month and 12-month numbers for the previous cycle. Only numbers of submitted and completed FAFSA forms are available. No personally identifiable information for any FAFSA filer will be shared through this process. Email us at HSFAFSA@ed.gov if you see data that is inaccurate and/or you have suggestions for improvement. We welcome your input. 

What is the difference between a submitted and a completed FAFSA form? 
Submitted applications reflect all FAFSA forms submitted by students at that high school. These applications , however , can be subsequently rejected by the Central Processing System if they are missing key pieces of information. The applications that are not rejected are referred to as completed applications. Completed applications , therefore , are a subset of all submitted applications. If a FAFSA form is submitted but not complete , the student will receive an email from the Department of Education asking him or her to correct the FAFSA form. A completed FAFSA form is necessary to determine eligibility for federal student aid and often other forms of financial aid. 

How often will 

user: I have a query, the school that I want to list on my FAFSA form is not an option as it does not appear as listed, is there anything I can do?

assistant: Has the school that you listed in your initial application not appeared on your FAFSA report?

user: Yes, that is exactly what has happened

assistant: There are two reasons for this, which I can go through with you now if you would like

user: When I submit data on my FAFSA form, how often is this data updated?

assistant: This is done on a weekly basis

user: Can you explain to me the difference between a completed FAFSA form and a submitted application?

assistant: It turns out that a completed application is made up of a series of all submitted applications

user: What is the definition of a submitted application when relating to FAFSA forms?

assistant: Submitted applications are a reflection of all the FAFSA forms that have been completed by students at a particular high school. It can happen that these submitted applications can be rejected if there are any parts of key pieces of information that are missing

user: I believe that the number of FAFSA forms that I completed is higher, why would this be?

assistant: If some students listed your high school under a different name, then the high school would be listed in more than one place