Resources / Blog / Blog 5 recommendations to create urgency around FAFSA submissions January 12, 2021 Facebook link Twitter link LinkedIn link Topic Marketing and Enrollment Tag Enrollment Strategy Financial Aid Blogs 5 recommendations to create urgency around FAFSA submissions Brett Schraeder“> By Brett Schraeder January 12, 2021 3 min read Email LinkedIn As we have seen in our analyses of the last admissions cycle, many students-particularly those from low-income backgrounds-did not enroll in college in the fall of 2020. Unfortunately, this problem appears likely to continue when we assess application activity and FAFSA submissions for the fall 2021 entering class. In watching student application behavior this cycle, we have been encouraged slightly by application activity around key deadlines. For example, we saw almost three times as many applications submitted on the November 15 deadline compared to last year. But FAFSA applications as of early December are still running far behind. Nationally, FAFSA applications are down more than 12% compared to last year. And FAFSA applications are behind in every state except Hawaii, where FAFSA applications are even with last year. 0% Nationally, FAFSA applications are down more than 12% compared to last year Seemingly non-urgent tasks falling by the wayside Today’s heavy reliance on virtual instruction seems to have thrown off typical timelines, and some students are only completing tasks that are right in front of them. Our recent high school counselor survey and webconference corroborates this suspicion. With a multitude of personal and professional demands-many unique to the pandemic-college applications and FAFSA filing can get pushed down in priority for both students and counselors. Hear from a panel of high school counselors about what colleges can do to support their students Join our panel of high school counselor to learn the most effective ways enrollment teams can support students through the college admissions process. Unlike the application processes we support for our Enrollment Services partners, which include significant outbound communication pushes around deadlines, applying for financial aid often has a late priority deadline (February or March), a very loose set of recommended filing dates, or just an attitude of “get it in when you can.” Making FAFSA more of a “must-do” Although that approach is normally a good one-we don’t want to limit students applying for aid where possible-this year, we encourage partners to create urgency around FAFSA filing or we run the risk of having lower enrollment than planned in 2021. Here are five recommendations on how to create urgency: 1Set priority datesSet priority dates for FAFSA filing and make a packaging commitment such as: “If you file by X date, we will have an aid offer to you by Y date.” 2Extend priority deadlines and aid for late filersDon’t limit aid for late filers and do extend priority deadlines for FAFSA submission. By telling students that you still have aid left to give, you encourage filing. 3Communicate with parentsCommunicate with parents and let students and parents know that they should file the FAFSA even if what the FAFSA reports (2019 financial data) is far different from their 2020 financial situation. Let them know that completing the FAFSA (and listing your institution) is most important and there is a process for telling you about income or other changes. 4Communicate with counselorsCommunicate with counselors from feeder high schools. Remind them of your filing dates and offer FAFSA filing resources they can share directly with students and families. Share your priority date extensions and note that you will not limit aid for later filers. 5Set up in-person FAFSA filing sessions (if possible)If possible, set up in-person FAFSA filing sessions. Obviously, this is very difficult given COVID-19 cases across the country right now but consider putting dates on the calendar in February and March to have in-person sessions. You can always cancel them but collecting names and contact information is important. Convey value in your financial aid communications See seven ways schools can make the most of Early FAFSA by maximizing the recruitment value of their aid packages. Though there are myriad reasons that students and families do not submit the FAFSA, especially this year, better instruction and support can help. Encouraging students and their families to file their FAFSAs, while also offering the resources they need to do so, is more critical this year than ever. You may also like How Recruitment Marketing Helps Underserved Students Learn the value, and importance, of recruitment marketing to help underserved students inquire, apply, and gain admission to colleges and universities in this infographic Explore the Infographic More Blogs Blog Crisis response 101 for enrollment teams Although prospective students are the future of every school, enrollment leaders are too rarely included in campus crisis… Blog 6 proven ways to boost your college enrollment From our extensive testing, we've identified six tried-and-true college enrollment best practices proven to work. Enrollment Blog Blog 18 more ideas for engaging admitted students (from the cutting room floor) Across the country, the yield rates of admitted students have been declining for most institutions for years, as…