Minnesota
FAFSA completion rates still down in Minnesota, though things are improving
Despite progress in recent months, FAFSA completion rates among high school seniors in Minnesota are still lower than in previous years.
The FAFSA, or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is how students qualify for federal and state grants, as well as many school scholarships and other types of financial support to cover the cost of attending an institution of higher education.
For the upcoming 2024-2025 school year, the U.S. Department of Education implemented changes intended to make the FAFSA process simpler, but the application’s release was delayed and the form plagued with technical glitches.
Data shows 2,478 fewer high school seniors in Minnesota have completed the FAFSA this cycle compared to last, as of tracking updated through July 5, reflecting a 6.8 percent decrease.
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“The technology in the new form was not ready, so students ran into a lot of issues and technical challenges … that delayed the process really significantly, of students just simply not being able to complete it,” said Isaiah Allen, spokesperson for College Possible Minnesota, a nonprofit offering college readiness programs for low-income students.
Minnesota fares better than most of the country — it’s in the top three states where FAFSA completion has dropped the least. Allen points out that completion rates have also improved in Minnesota in the last two months, which is not the case in many states.
Still, there is concern that the challenges of accessing financial aid will prevent students from attending college in fall. The National College Attainment Network reports FAFSA completion was correlated with an 84 percent increase in college enrollment in one study.
Amanda Justen is program strategy manager for Achieve Twin Cities. She said some students who couldn’t complete the FAFSA in time for their high-school graduation ended up not committing to a college.
“And then, once they graduate and go off, I think some students in that situation just decided to maybe take a year off and work or weren’t able to make a decision on their college,” she said.
Justen said many of the technical issues with the FAFSA have been resolved, so it’s a matter of getting people help now.
In May, state officials announced grants to both College Possible and Achieve Twin Cities to help Minnesotans get one-on-one help with the FAFSA. The nonprofits are offering individualized support through appointments and at events this summer.
Justen reminds students they can still receive aid. The FAFSA deadline for the 2024-2025 academic year isn’t until the end of it: June 30, 2025.
“Our main message right now is definitely if students applied and were accepted to college, and that’s still their goal, there’s still time to do the FAFSA,” said Justen.
How to get help with FAFSA
College Possible is offering free individualized support for all Minnesotans to complete the FAFSA or the MN Dream Act, which is the FAFSA equivalent for undocumented students, virtually through their website.
It also has three upcoming events at the Mall of America at the Capital One Café from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on several upcoming Thursdays: July 18, Aug. 8 and Aug. 22.
Allen said people seeking help should bring their social security numbers, tax ID and FAFSA IDs, if they have them. He said applications have taken between 15 minutes to 2.5 hours, usually with students who have families of mixed immigration status.
St. Paul and Minneapolis Public Schools students can get in-person help by scheduling an appointment with Achieve Twin Cities or visiting a drop-in event at a local library.
Both organizations will also provide FAFSA help at the Minnesota State Fair, helping to staff the Office of Higher Education’s booth in the Education building.
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Protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are continuing across the Triangle this week, fueled by anger and fear after a woman was shot and killed during an immigration enforcement operation Wednesday in Minnesota.
Adali Abeldanez, owner of Moroleon Supermarket in Durham, said fear is impacting daily life and local businesses, including his own.
“People are still stressed and worried,” he said.
Abeldanez said he has seen a noticeable change in customer behavior since ICE operations intensified. While his store has offered delivery services for years, he noticed requests surged in November, when ICE was in the state, and have remained high.
“That uptick in delivery – do you believe that’s directly tied to people’s fear about ICE?” WRAL asked Abeldanez.
“Oh yeah, for sure,” he said.
He said some store clients are afraid to leave their homes and are relying on organized deliveries instead. Abeldanez said his wife is undocumented and frightened, a feeling he said is widely shared in the immigrant community.
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Abeldanez believes ICE agents need more training and greater accountability.
“They’re dealing with people — human beings. It’s life,” he said. “The law should be enforced, but obviously with due process and taking into consideration humanity, being humane.”
He also criticized what he described as racial profiling; he said agents approach people in public spaces based on appearance rather than targeted investigations.
“They should have some kind of plan to know where to go, who to look for, and not just randomly pick people,” Abeldanez said.
Despite his concerns, Abeldanez said he felt encouraged by this week’s protests, as long as they remain peaceful.
“As long as it’s something peaceful, I feel proud,” he said. “Seeing people protest in favor of protecting the immigrant community — I think that’s awesome.”
But while both sides believe peaceful protesting is important, the divide is regarding ICE’s actions.
Matt Mercer, communications director for the North Carolina Republican Party, said the Minnesota shooting involved an agent acting in self-defense, citing video evidence and injuries the agent sustained.
“There’s a human element where someone loses their life, which you never want to see,” Mercer said. “But the video speaks for itself.”
Mercer said recent confrontations with ICE agents are not peaceful protests but attempts to obstruct federal law enforcement.
“If you wish to protest, do that in ways you can traditionally protest,” Mercer said. “Surrounding agents, obstructing vehicles or creating chaos is not legitimate protest.”
The Minnesota incident remains under investigation. Meanwhile, protests in the Triangle are expected to continue, including one Friday night in Durham.
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