SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — As high school seniors begin applying for federal financial aid for college next year, nationwide data showing applications are down about 3.1 percent compared to the same time last year.
About 660,000 students had applied by Nov. 19 for the 2022-23 aid cycle, compared with 681,000 at the same time last year, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
In New York, 33,878 FAFSA applications were completed through Nov. 19 for the current cycle, compared to 38,525 completed during the same period last year. That is, a decrease of 12.1%. (See how Southampton area high schools compare below.)
It's unclear whether the high school class of 2022 will reverse the negative trends in FAFSA completions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, said Bill DeBaun, director of data and assessment for the National College Attainment Network.
“Many schools and students are readjusting to return in person, and students who have lost 20 months of building 'college knowledge' about the college application process are likely to be late or hesitant to complete the FAFSA,” said DeBaun in Patch. “That said, there is still plenty of time in this cycle for the class of 2022 to catch up and surpass previous classes.”
College enrollment numbers have declined in recent years. Fall 2021 enrollment is down 3.2 percent from fall 2020 and 6.5 percent from fall 2019, according to NCAN.
Last cycle, the decline in FAFSA completions was steepest among Title 1 high schools, meaning those where low-income students make up at least 40 percent of the enrollment. However, the decline is steeper for non-Title 1 schools so far this cycle.
So far New York is not following the national trend. Completed applications fell 17.5 percent from Title 1 schools, compared to a 9.2 percent drop for non-Title 1 school applications on Nov. 19.
See how schools in the Southampton area are doing by completing the FAFSA as of November 19 for the 2020-21 cycle compared to the 2019-20 cycle. See more Southampton area high schools here. Note: Percentage changes may be affected by a relatively small difference in completions, especially for smaller schools. FAFSA data only counts students who are no older than 19 years old.
School: SOUTHAMPTON HIGH SCHOOL
Area: SOUTHAMPTON UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT
Municipality: SOUTHAMPTON
- Total FAFSA completions as of November 19, 2021: 23
- Total FAFSA completions as of November 19, 2020: 33
- Rate of change: -30.3
- Title Status 1: No Title I school wide
The FAFSA deadline for the 2021-2022 academic year is June 30, 2022, while the 2022-23 deadline is June 30, 2023. Many states and colleges set their own aid application deadlines. There has been a push in recent years for students to fill out the FAFSA earlier in their senior year.
Editor's note: This list was automatically generated using FAFSA data analyzed by the Associated Press. The number of federal high schools does not include students over 19 years of age. Information is not available for all schools. Schools with fewer than five completions are omitted from the data. Please report any bugs or other feedback to content@patch.com.
