Do you know what happens after you fill out your FAFSA?
The 2018-19 FAFSA opened online Oct. 1 and many college-bound students have already completed the crucial financial aid document. But the process doesn’t stop there.
Next Steps for FAFSA Filers
New Advocacy Resources Available to Support Undocumented Students
Campus leaders who want to support undocumented students have a new place to turn for information.
Earlier this month, the Protect Dreamers Higher Education Coalition, of which NACAC is a member, created a new website highlighting facts about undocumented students and providing advocacy resources.
The coalition is encouraging colleges and universities to recognize Oct. 16-20 as Protect Dreamers Week. New resources created to help educators and others advocate on behalf of DREAMers include a fact sheet and talking points.
Continue reading New Advocacy Resources Available to Support Undocumented Students
What Would You Do for Student Loan Forgiveness? New Poll Shows Debt Worries Loom Large for Millennials
Nearly half of all respondents in a recent poll said they would give up voting in the next two presidential elections if their student loans would be forgiven.
And while surrendering a fundamental right might seem crazy, the latest numbers on student loan debt are equally staggering.
Celebrate National Transfer Student Week
Who are America’s transfer students and how does your institution play a role in their journey to a degree?
Share success stories during the inaugural National Transfer Student Week, which runs through Friday.
The celebration is organized by the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students, with support from the New England Transfer Association and the New York State Transfer and Articulation Association.
ICYMI: Download NACAC’s Financial Aid PowerPoint
Good information can go a long way when helping students make the right college choice.
Financial Aid Basics: What Students & Families Need to Know provides an overview of how to estimate college costs and apply for aid.
Continue reading ICYMI: Download NACAC’s Financial Aid PowerPoint
Close to Missing Something Great
Editor’s note: This column was first shared on the NACAC Exchange.
It’s just BUSY this time of the year, and while what I WANT to do is close the door and write, write, write, there are a myriad of other things that have to do done. There is nothing that says fall like the word busy.
So when a student popped in my office and asked if she could work on her application, I told her sure and kept working on what I needed to do. She would ask the occasional question, but mostly we were both working on her separate to-do lists.
Then there was silence. As a father of five, I FEAR silence. I looked up, and she was crying.
Member View: DACA and the Moral Universe
Editor’s note: Admitted’s op-ed columns offer NACAC members the opportunity to share their take on the day’s news and events. The views and opinions expressed in Member View columns are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of the association.
Throughout his tenure as president, Barack Obama frequently quoted Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous line, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” In 2012, the Obama administration implemented the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, which temporarily allowed qualified undocumented immigrants to the United States, who entered the country as minors, to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and eligibility for a work permit. Additionally, DACA allowed some of these students access to in-state tuition.
DACA’s establishment was controversial, but the path toward DACA was paved decades before. In fact, the implementation of DACA coincided with the 30th anniversary of Plyler v. Doe, a 1982 Supreme Court decision that barred K-12 public schools from charging undocumented students tuition. In may have taken 30 years, but undocumented students in the United States had increased opportunities for not just primary and secondary education, but higher education as well. DACA was, essentially, part of the long arc bending toward justice.
International ACAC Calls for Equal Access to Admission Tests
A NACAC affiliate is calling on testing companies to ensure all students worldwide have equal access to US college admission exams.
Fewer ACT and SAT test dates were provided this year for international students when compared to their peers living in the US, according to a statement from the International Association for College Admission Counseling. In addition, in recent years students outside the US have had to deal with frequent test cancellations or changes in testing due to concerns about test security. Communication about those developments “has neither been comprehensive or timely,” the statement notes.
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Reminder: Keep an Eye on Financial Aid Deadlines
Need financial aid for the 2018-19 academic year?
The US Department of Education is reminding students to remain cognizant of deadlines when completing the FAFSA.
While the FAFSA is primarily used to award federal financial aid, many colleges, states, and scholarship programs also use the form to assess eligibility for their aid programs.
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Study: Ninth-Grade GPA Helps Predict Student Success
Does freshman year matter?
New research from the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research suggests that students’ ninth-grade GPA might actually be the best predictor of future academic performance, graduation rate, and college enrollment yet.
Continue reading Study: Ninth-Grade GPA Helps Predict Student Success