Student financial aid requests are lagging previous year
Wednesday, February 24, 2021
College financial aid requests by Oregon high school seniors are down 15% this year compared with last, according to Oregon data.
The Oregon Department of Education and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission are asking educators to encourage students to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or the Oregon Student Aid Application while there is still time. The ORSAA is a state form for students with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, undocumented or temporary protected status.
Although the applications can be filled out anytime during the year, many of the scholarships have a March 1 deadline and some grants with spring application periods have limited funding.
The National Center for Education Statistics data show that students who complete the FAFSA are 84% more likely to enroll in postsecondary education and are more likely to make decisions about where they enroll for higher education with the support of educators, school counselors, college access advisers or administrators, according to an ODE email.
