The percentage of Arizona high school seniors who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, form is generally in the mid-40 range; that puts the state toward the bottom of the list of states nationally.

There are a few states that require graduating seniors to fill out the form, although Louisiana is the only one that has so far fully implemented its law. In that state, the rate of high school seniors who complete the FAFSA has gone up — it’s now among the top states in the country, with generally more than 70% of high school seniors filling it out.

More recently, Newark became the first city in New Jersey to require seniors to complete the form in order to graduate.

A new analysis from the Century Foundation, which calls itself a “progressive, independent think tank,” asks whether states should make filling out the form mandatory.

Peter Granville is a senior policy associate at the Century Foundation and did the research into this. The Show spoke with him about what exactly he found in Louisiana.

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