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About Race to the FAFSA Line
As part of the Detroit Drives Degrees initiative, which aims to improve regional postsecondary outcomes, the Detroit Regional Chamber is entering its fifth year hosting the Student Aid Challenge for Southeast Michigan, “Race to the FAFSA Line.”
Despite the hard work of school counselors and local college access networks last year, Michigan students left more than $206 million of federal aid on the table by not filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). According to the National College Access Network, high school graduates who complete FAFSA are 63% more likely to enroll in college.
For the second year, The Detroit Regional Chamber’s Detroit Drives Degrees initiative will launch a select cohort as part of its regional FAFSA competition. The high schools in Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties that are selected to participate in the 2020 Sprint to the Finish Cohort will be assigned a college admissions expert specifically dedicated to their school and will benefit from additional FAFSA training, specially tailored resources, student/parent event support, and special incentives designed to increase engagement. Eligible schools for the 2020 cohort have predominantly low-income student populations and a 2019-2020 FAFSA completion rate in the bottom 20% of their county’s high schools.
The challenge is a collaborative effort involving partners such as the Michigan Association of State Universities (MASU), Michigan College Access Network, Detroit College Access Network, Emagine Entertainment, Oakland Schools, Wayne RESA, Macomb Intermediate School District and several local college access networks. 105 schools throughout Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties registered for the competition last year.
