Louisiana has the highest FAFSA submission rates in the nation according to a new report. That means more students than ever are applying to see what financial aid they qualify for when it comes to post-secondary education. Ed-Tech Senior Consultant Stephanie Marcum says the 84 percent participation rate comes down to a new mandate for graduating high school seniors.
It appears that The board of secondary education has implicated a policy for incoming graduate students that they MUST complete a FAFSA or TOPS application.
A department of Education report says when you add up tuition, books, and cost of living, the average two and four year college student in the state will have to spend 20,863 dollars to attend.
Marcum says that’s huge because 51 percent of jobs available in the state require a post-secondary education to obtain. That’s why they’re working to let students and their families know that FASA isn’t just student loans for college, its scholarships, grants and other aid for a variety of continuing education.
And it wasn’t just in submission rate, the Bayou State led the nation in growth rate as well. Marcum says it’s a great start, but there’s still quite a few students who didn’t participate, students who may have lost out on thousands in aid.
It’s estimated by 2020 that 65 percent of all jobs will require some kind of post-secondary education to obtain.