In January 2024, New Jersey passed A1181/S2054 legislation, making completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) a requirement for high school graduation unless families opt out, joining at least 11 other states that have either passed similar legislation or are considering it. The intent is to increase the number of students receiving financial support for post-secondary education or vocational training, and, ultimately, the number of students pursuing and completing such education. Previous requirements of this sort have shown especially strong impacts on low-income students.
This report, written by Elisabeth Kim, PhD, builds on her earlier report on FAFSA, and summarizes the experiences of other states and locales that have adopted “mandatory” completion requirements for the financial aid application.
You can access the report on our website.