ICHE Releases Statewide High School FAFSA Completion Goal

By The Times of Noblesville | January 19, 2023

The Indiana Commission for Higher Education announced a statewide Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion goal for high school seniors to improve currently low FAFSA filing rates and increase access to state, federal and institutional financial aid.

The Commission’s goal is to have at least 60 percent of the high school graduating class of 2023 complete the FAFSA by the state’s April 15, 2023 priority deadline. A new statewide goal of 65 percent of FAFSA completions will be set for the high school graduating class of 2024.

Filing the FAFSA is the first step toward accessing some of the $390 million in state financial aid and billions of dollars in federal aid available to learners. According to the National College Attainment Network (NCAN), Indiana high school graduates left $65 million in Pell Grants on the table in 2021 by not completing the FAFSA. Completing the FAFSA on time is a necessary step for 21st Century Scholars to earn the full scholarship amount of up to four years of college tuition.

“Hoosiers understand the value of competition, whether it’s in basketball, racing and now FAFSA completions,” said Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Chris Lowery. “The ambitious FAFSA completion goal, championed by Associate Commissioner of K-12 Strategy Michelle Ashcraft, will hopefully lead to more Hoosiers enrolling in and affording college.”

As of Jan. 12, 28 percent of current high school seniors have filed the FAFSA. Progress toward the 60 percent goal can be tracked on the Commission’s interactive online dashboard at learnmoreindiana.org/fafsa-tracker.

The dashboard will be updated weekly. The high schools with the highest percentage of FAFSA completions will be recognized this summer.

How to file the FAFSA:

Students can file the FAFSA online at FAFSA.gov. The first step for students who have not previously filed the FAFSA is to create a Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID. Then, each student will need:

  • Social Security number
  • Alien Registration number (for non-U.S. citizens)
  • Federal income tax returns, W-2s and other records of money earned from 2021
  • Bank statements and records of investments (if applicable)
  • Records of untaxed income (if applicable)

Assistance is available:

  • The U.S. Department of Education provides email and live chat assistance for FAFSA filers as well as a helpline at 1 (800) 4-FED-AID.
  • Hoosier families can also access free FAFSA help through INvestEd Indiana at investedindiana.org.
  • The Commission’s eight outreach coordinators are available via phone or email. A full list of counties and associated numbers is available here.
  • ¿Necesitas ayuda en español? Llame al 317-617-0358 o (317) 617-0318.

College Goal Sunday will take place on Feb. 26 at 37 locations across Indiana. Students and families will be able to receive free, one-on-one assistance with filing the FAFSA.

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