North Carolina First in FAFSA is a myFutureNC collaborative that focuses on increasing the number of high school seniors who complete the FAFSA application. Increasing the FAFSA completion rate is a fundamental step in our state’s efforts to meet our postsecondary attainment goal. FAFSA completion is required for Pell grant eligibility, as well as in-state needs-based grants and other scholarships. Students who complete the FAFSA are more likely to enroll in higher education, recognizing that college may be an affordable opportunity for them as well.
In response to COVID and declining levels of FAFSA completion, myFutureNC launched a statewide FAFSA Frenzy campaign in June 2020. The campaign engaged statewide partners and informed strategy for ongoing FAFSA initiatives, and helped to secure additional Finish the FAFSA Data Sharing Agreements. Currently, 662 or 97% of public high schools have signed data sharing agreements, a more than 55% increase in the number of data sharing agreements since June 2019.
NC First in FAFSA, a myFutureNC collaborative with Carolina Demography, College Foundation of North Carolina, College Advising Corps and Hunt Institute, developed a statewide FAFSA Tracker hosted on a publicly accessible website which displays updated data on the overall percentage of FAFSA completions at the state, district and high school levels. Additionally, the collaborative launched the inaugural NC First in FAFSA Challenge, and is leveraging connections to reach underrepresented populations and increase overall awareness of the tools and resources available to support students and families.
Learn more on NC First in FAFSA