Florida College Access Network is pleased to announce the winners of the 2016 Florida FAFSA Challenge, a statewide campaign to increase the proportion of Florida high school seniors completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The Florida FAFSA Challenge encourages all schools and districts to set a FAFSA completion goal 5% higher than their rate as of March 31 of last year or alternatively, a goal that fits their school’s unique circumstances.
Florida CAN applauds all schools and districts that committed to helping more graduating high school seniors access financial aid for college and congratulates those that boosted their FAFSA completion rates this year.
“We are grateful to the many schools, districts and communities that pulled out all the stops to ensure their seniors had every opportunity to complete the FAFSA,” said Laurie Meggesin, Executive Director of Florida CAN. “The ultimate winners are Florida students who will now be able to afford college or career school next fall.”
“The Challenge has put a spotlight on schools, districts and communities working hard to boost FAFSA completion rates,” said Troy Miller, Associate Director for Research and Policy for Florida CAN. “We look forward to sharing these best practices to ensure that money is never the reason why students don’t go to college.”
To view a complete list of Florida FAFSA Challenge Winners, view Florida CAN’s press release.
Florida CAN is awarding trophies to the fifteen schools and districts in the top award categories of “MVP”, “Most Improved” and “Fastest Lap” and a certificate of achievement to all Florida schools and districts that met or exceeded a FAFSA completion goal. For a more detailed view of the results, including FAFSA completion rates for the winning schools and districts, click here for the final leaderboard.
The Florida FAFSA Challenge is part of a suite of statewide initiatives collectively called College Ready Florida. These initiatives, which include Apply Yourself Florida! (Florida College Application Month) and College Decision Day, are designed to build a college-going culture and help all high school students, especially low-income students and those who are the first in their families to go to college, continue their educations beyond high school. If you are interested in receiving updates or learning more about the College Ready Florida initiatives, please complete this interest form.
For more on the Florida FAFSA Challenge, check out this one-pager and view data for all public schools on the Florida FAFSA Finish Line dashboard.
The Florida FAFSA Challenge is made possible thanks to the support of the Helios Education Foundation and Swift Family Foundation.