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. 

“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. 

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) – A stretch of road in St. Paul that closed in June due to flooding concerns is set to reopen on Wednesday. 

It’s been nearly a month since the banks of the Mississippi River overflowed in St. Paul, prompting officials to close some roads, parks and trails in the city. 

A three-mile stretch of Shepard Road and Warner Road on the north side of the river was closed to vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic on June 23. Now that water levels continue to improve, city officials say the roadways are set to open after 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Sibley and Jackson streets will also reopen for vehicle traffic from Shepard Road to Kellogg Boulevard.

The river levels crested in St. Paul at 20.17 feet, the eighth-highest record for the city, officials said. Since cresting nearly three weeks ago, the river has dropped almost 11 feet, and the water continues to recede.

However, Water Street on the other side of the river will remain shut down until inspection and cleanup are finished. Harriet Island also remains closed so crews can finish making repairs and prepare for a big event this weekend.

The overall drying trend is helping organizers prepare for the inaugural Minnesota Yacht Club, a two-day music festival this Friday and Saturday featuring big names like Gwen Stefani, Alanis Morissette, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Meanwhile, drivers in the southwest metro are still dealing with the impacts of high water levels. The Highway 41 Bridge between downtown Chaska and Highway 169 has been closed since June 20 due to flooding from the Minnesota River.   

The water level at Shakopee has dropped more than 13 feet since the near-historic crest and just dipped below flood stage on Tuesday. With the receding water, crews are planning to reopen the crossing on Monday.

The

Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

shares more boundaries with the federally managed National Forest System than any other tribe in the United States, with 75% of the reservation border adjoining the Chippewa National Forest in northern Minnesota.

Being in the Northwoods, timber harvesting and forest management are important to the tribe’s economy. Yet, the value of the forest extends well beyond timber production. Forests provide the Leech Lake Band a deep cultural foundation, sustaining life for humans, plants and animals, all while cleaning the air and water.

However, forest health has declined rapidly over the past two centuries. Clear-cut logging by European settlers combined with a management legacy of fire suppression and the impacts of climate change are increasingly exposing our forests to risks from severe wildfire, insects and disease and drought.

Many modern forests now lack a diversity of tree ages, especially older trees which are a vital component of a healthy and resilient forest. Old-growth forest conditions are now present on just 13% of lands within federal national forests, and here in the State of Minnesota, it’s less than half that amount.

The absence of older forests means a loss of vital habitat for important plants and animals. For example, old-growth forests are essential habitats for eagles, a doodem (clan) animal of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. Eagles need very tall trees to nest and hunt, heights that can only be provided by old-growth forests. By protecting old-growth forests, we protect the vital habitat of the great American bald eagle.

While fire — including natural ignitions and cultural burning — contributes to the health of many forest ecosystems, the average acreage burned in the U.S. has more than doubled in the past half-century. The Federal Government now spends $7 billion to manage the escalating wildfire crisis. However, this $7 billion is only sufficient to conduct fuel treatments on 60 million of the 800 million forested acres nationwide.

Additionally, forests damaged by insects sequester 69% less carbon than healthy forests — the equivalent of adding 50 million tons of CO2, or the emissions of 10 million cars, into our atmosphere each year.

In light of these challenges, the U.S. Forest Service is exploring ways to restore old-growth forests as part of a strategy to increase the resilience and health of national forests, both for the benefit of people and of nature. Specifically, these agencies are looking for ways to strengthen forest resilience by incorporating Indigenous knowledge into forest management planning and practices.

Contrary to myths of “virgin” or “untouched” forests when Europeans first arrived on this continent, the evidence is clear that forests were actively taken care of by Indigenous people for thousands of generations. And it is still that way today.

Modern studies have shown that Native American land use increased the abundance of fire-tolerant, shade-intolerant and nut-producing trees up to 31 miles from Indigenous settlements. Utilizing Indigenous knowledge can help slow and even reverse the troubling trends in forest health.

The Leech Lake Band knows how important a healthy and resilient forest system is for the livelihood of those living throughout northern Minnesota. They are excited to partner with the U.S. Forest Service to share their knowledge of practices that will reduce the dangers of uncontrolled wildfires, increase long-term timber yields using sustainable forestry practices, and provide diverse habitats for numerous species, along with many other resources and values provided by healthy forests.

The reality is that the federal government does not have the capacity to adequately manage the nation’s 193 million acres of national forests alone and forest health issues do not respect political boundaries.

Fortunately, there are 574 federally recognized tribes across the United States with a deep connection to the land and a unique understanding of forest and environmental relationships learned and passed down over many generations.

Let’s expand engagement with tribes — the original stewards of these lands — and work together to address the health of our nation’s forests so everyone can receive the benefits from healthy and resilient forests.

Keith Karnes began working for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe in 2006 and now serves as the Division of Resource Management Forestry Director.