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 several questions about FAFSA termination

assistant: We have a section of questions we've heard about completion by the high school and public school district, what would be your question?

user: What are the FAFSA Completion Basics?

user: Based on the previous question, why do some districts appear blank on maps?

assistant: Please note that Districts are listed as missing or insufficient data if some conditions are met

user: ok I understand but it is not the case that I am looking for

user: well but in some cases why does there seem to be duplicates from the same school?

assistant: This comes to pass since these school names are inherently reported by students, the reported name can vary considerably. By adding the data, our standard practice is to report the name of the school that applicants most commonly report.

user: ok and what are the conditions by which some districts appear blank on the maps?

assistant: The most common is that the statutory adjusted cohort graduation rate is missing, for example, if districts merged or a new district was created after 2009/10 and will not appear on the maps.

user: ok and that is the only condition?

assistant: not as I mentioned are several conditions

user: ok and relative to the totals reported last year they are different from the numbers reported now over last year. What is causing this?

assistant: This can be due to several factors
Since in previous years, we used representatives to determine if an applicant was a first time applicant; ine if an applicant was a first, time filing cabinet; We now use true declarant status for the first time as a criterion for being a senior. and this affects the totals