The state of Arizona now ranks second in the country in year-over-year completion of Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA, with a rate of 23.2% so far, the Arizona Board of Regents says.
In comparison, by April last year, the state had only seen an 18% completion rate.
“Arizona has historically been ranked 48th or 49th in FAFSA completions,” ABOR Executive Director Chad Sampson told the board Thursday at a meeting in Tempe. Traditionally, Arizona has missed out on over $300 million in federal Pell Grants that students were eligible for but did not take, Sampson said.
But, “coming out of last year’s difficulties, we are seeing tremendous growth in Arizona. And this is directly tied to our staff’s work. With the new statewide efforts raising awareness, partnering with a number of different public and private entities and our high schools, we’ve seen a turnaround there,” he said.
Arizona faced difficulties upping FAFSA enrollment last year, after Congress ordered the U.S. Education Department to make widespread changes to the system. Although the goal was to make the applications easier to fill out and offer better access to low-income families, the department incorrectly calculated the aid for students, creating repeated delays.
But Arizona now leads the way through a nationally recognized peer-to-peer coaching model, led by ABOR, to increase FAFSA completions, Sampson said. The FAFSA Peer Coaching Program, which now operates in 40 high schools across metro Phoenix and Tucson, “trains students as peer coaches to help their classmates navigate the FAFSA process, answer questions and break down misconceptions.”
The program, since its expansion in 2022, has placed approximately 190 peer coaches in the 40 schools. Over time, the program has seen a 67% increase in schools participating.
“Our goal is to expand the program to all corners of Arizona, and we are eager to share this successful approach with other states so even more students can benefit,” said ABOR Chair Cecilia Mata.
The board is looking to expand the program into all high schools in Pima and Coconino counties. Following Arizona’s success rate this year, other states, including Maryland, Wyoming, Florida and South Dakota, were considering similar peer coaching models, ABOR said in a news release.
Sampson said that since the opening of FAFSA applications in October last year, 30,250 Arizona high schoolers have completed applications. Students are completing them at a rate of about 1,800 a week, he said.
The average FAFSA completion rate for Arizona’s peer coach schools is 30.5%, said Nicholas Opich, associate vice president of communications for ABOR. The completion rate in the peer schools was 7.3% higher than the state average, he said.
“These students know what their peers want to see and what grabs their attention,” said Julie Sainz, ABOR’s director of FAFSA and college access initiatives. “It’s inspiring to see the creativity they bring to making FAFSA completion a priority on their campuses.”
Arizona’s success is also fueled by key partners such as Major League Baseball’s Arizona Cactus League, Sampson said. The partnership offers high school seniors in Arizona the opportunity to bring three friends with them to a spring training game for free if they completed a FAFSA application.
The partnership, now in its third year, incentivized more than 1,500 Arizona high school seniors to secure financial aid for their college education in its first two years.
Bridget Binsbacher, executive director of Arizona Cactus League, promised to “smash those numbers” this year and “hit it out of the ballpark.” She said the Cactus League has already given out game tickets to more than 700 students this year, which is nearly 3,000 tickets for this season alone.
“With all that is great in the state of Arizona, we want do do our part to help build a strong labor force and build a pipeline of success that graduates exceptional students and keeps that talent and their families here in Arizona. That’s a common goal that we’re all working towards,” Binsbacher told the regents Thursday.
The Federal Pell Grant Program, which is tied to FAFSA, provides need-based grants to low-income undergraduate students to promote access to postsecondary education. Pell Grants are not student loans, meaning those who receive them do not have to pay the money back to the federal government.
In 2023, Arizona’s high school class left an estimated $112 million in Pell Grant funding on the table due to not submitting more FAFSA applications, according to ABOR.
ABOR voted a year ago to extend its FAFSA priority deadline for Arizona’s public universities and to conduct several advertising campaigns, using local influencers, social media ads and billboards to help spread the word.
While Arizona does not have a state deadline for applications, Arizona Cactus League’s first spring training game is Feb. 20 this year, so submitting applications before then would mean students get to go to a free baseball game. For more information, see collegereadyaz.com.
Also, to qualify for ABOR’s Arizona Promise Program, which covers tuition and fees at the state’s three public universities, students must submit their FAFSA applications by a priority date of April 1.
