RI Ranks 1st in U.S. for FAFSA Completion Improvement
GoLocalProv News Team
RI Ranks 1st in U.S. for FAFSA Completion Improvement
“I’m grateful to the many teachers, administrators, school counselors, and community partners that have made college access a priority. Thank you for helping Rhode Island to move the needle, and for making college more affordable for so many of our students,” said Angélica Infante-Green, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education.
RIDE has also set a goal of 70 percent completion at every public high school. Statewide, 44 percent of seniors have completed the FAFSA to date this year, which is an increase of 6 percentage points over this time last year.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST"The high cost of tuition should not prevent Rhode Island students from pursuing higher education. If a young person in our state wants to go to college, they should have that opportunity. We need to make those dreams a reality, and that means promoting resources like the FAFSA, providing free early college experiences for our students while they’re still in high school, and investing in programs like Promise to make college more affordable,” said Governor Gina Raimondo.
In 2019, 66 percent of seniors completed the FAFSA.
Increasing FAFSA Awareness
Increasing FAFSA awareness and completion is a goal through Prepare Rhode Island (PrepareRI).
On the PrepareRI website, students can access a FAFSA toolkit that includes information on application requirements, instructions on how to navigate the platform, an explanation of the different types of financial assistance for college, and links and contact information for community organizations that can further assist with college access.
In Providence, specifically, through a partnership with the Gates Foundation, $500 prizes will be awarded to the high schools with the highest FAFSA completion rate among seniors, and high schools with the greatest improvement over 2019, as of April 24, 2020.