This year's FAFSA setbacks are making Arizona's already low completion rate worse
Download mp3 (1.1 MB)The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) has been plagued with setbacks this year. That’s the form college-bound students and their families use to get federal funds to help pay for school.
While some issues have been fixed, Arizona is still lagging behind in its completion rates.
The U.S. Department of Education has been under fire for a slew of FAFSA-related frustrations this year, from a delay in rolling out the form, to a recent announcement that it was not pulling the correct IRS data for about 20 percent of students.
Arizona’s FAFSA completion rates have historically ranked among the lowest in the country. Julie Sainz directs FAFSA and college access initiatives for the Arizona Board of Regents.
“March 22 of last year we had a little over 32,000 Arizona high school seniors submitting the application," she said. "This year, we have just a little over 22,000 who have submitted.”
The state increased its completion rate by five percent last year, but this year’s delays have so far canceled out that progress.
Sainz added that Arizona may linger at the bottom in completion rates for several reasons including the high number of first-generation college students in the state and a lack of designated funding for it.
