Guest Post: National College Access Network's 'Form Your Future' offers free tools to help boost FAFSA completion

As the 2018-19 school year enters its final months, now is a great time to explore the National College Access Network's (NCAN) Form Your Future website. Form Your Future contains resources to support schools and organizations that assist students and families with completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Last school year, only 60.9 percent of the nation’s high school seniors completed the FAFSA before graduation. As of March 8, only 47.2 percent of seniors filed this crucial form.

Resources available via the Form Your Future site include, but are not limited to:

1. The #FormYourFuture FAFSA Tracker: This tool provides weekly updated FAFSA completion rates at the district, city, state, and national level. Be sure to check out how your community is performing, and how it stacks up against your peers – there’s nothing wrong with a little friendly competition!
2. A “How to Fill out the FAFSA” guide: This document – which is updated for this year’s application – provides directional support from the early stages of creating an FSA ID all the way through verification.
3. Success stories: Highlighted here are the uplifting stories of practitioners who have successfully encouraged students and parents to complete the FAFSA and pursue their higher education dreams. If you have a story you would like to share with NCAN, please do so here!
4. Social media posts: Looking to engage students on social media and direct them to FAFSA.gov? Be sure to browse the sample Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram posts we’ve created for you.

You may have heard mention of FAFSA in the news lately. That’s because lawmakers in Washington are discussing ways to simplify the application. If you’re looking to take a deeper dive into the FAFSA simplification discussions happening on Capitol Hill, check out these materials from NCAN’s policy team:

1. NCAN Members Testify Before Senate Education Committee on FAFSA Simplification
2. NCAN Members, Students Take to Capitol Hill to Advocate for Equity
3. New U.S. Department of Education Guidance Provides Verification Relief for Students

NCAN is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. whose mission is to build, strengthen, and empower communities committed to college access and success so that all students, especially those underrepresented in postsecondary education, can achieve their educational dreams through a two- or four-year degree or high-quality certificate program.