Alaska submits fewer college aid requests than other states

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An analysis of federal data shows Alaska’s high school seniors applied for college financial aid at a lower rate than students in all other U.S. states.

Only 11.5% of Alaska’s 2021 senior class applied for higher education financial assistance as of Dec. 4, The Anchorage Daily News reported Sunday.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, widely known as FAFSA, started accepting submissions in October.

The application, which students usually complete ahead of submitting college applications, provides access to federal and state grants, scholarships and loans.

A National College Attainment Network analysis of U.S. Department of Education data found nationwide completion of the application is down 14% compared to the same time last year.

In Alaska, the completion rate decreased 23.9% compared to last year.

“Being two months into the cycle and seeing the senior class double-digit percentages behind last year is extremely concerning,” said Bill DeBaun, director of data and evaluation at the non-profit network.

The decrease can be blamed on the coronavirus, DeBaun said.

“When public schools started closing across the country, FAFSA completion took a nosedive, and it never really recovered for the Class of 2020,” DeBaun said.

The rates are worse for the class of graduating seniors in 2021, he said.

Alaska has one of the lowest four-year high school graduation rates in the nation, although the figure has been rising along with the national rate.

The drop in Alaska’s financial assistance application completion is more pronounced than what the analysis shows, Debaun said, because the analysis does not account for an increase in the number of high school seniors year-to-year.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some — especially older adults and people with existing health problems — it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.