Brevard Recognized for Highest FAFSA Completion

4 people in group holding signs and receiving award.
Photo from left to right: Christine Tripp, 新澳门六合彩开奖记录 Associate Dean of Transition Services, Dr. Synthia Doaks, Elevate Brevard Director, Paula Bewerse, BPS College & Career Readiness Resource Teacher, Myron Campbell 新澳门六合彩开奖记录 College & Career Outreach Specialist

May 09, 2023

The Brevard County school district was recently honored at the 2023 Talent Strong Florida Summit as a winner of the 2023 Florida FAFSA Challenge, a statewide campaign to increase the proportion of high school seniors completing the FAFSA.

Brevard was recognized for having the highest FAFSA completion rate of high school seniors in a large size school district. This award follows last year鈥檚 recognition for being 2022鈥檚 鈥淢ost Improved鈥 large school district with the highest increase in FAFSA completion from the year prior.

The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is a form that provides students access to federal, state and local financial aid. This includes loans, work-study, private scholarships, and grants including the Federal Pell Grant, which is awarded to students with exceptional need and does not have to be repaid.

According to the National College Attainment Network, Florida鈥檚 Class of 2022 left an estimated $313 million dollars in Pell Grants on the table that could have been used for furthering their education. 鈥淔AFSA completion is a critical piece of the college enrollment process,鈥 said Christine Tripp, 新澳门六合彩开奖记录鈥檚 Associate Dean of Transition Services. 鈥淪tudents who complete the FAFSA are more likely to not only enroll in college, but more importantly, complete their degree.鈥

新澳门六合彩开奖记录 has proudly served Brevard County public and private school students and families with assistance in completing the FAFSA every school year. The most prominent effort is the 鈥淕o Higher, Get Accepted鈥 campaign which has grown since its inception in 2012.

Annually, nearly 1,000 high school seniors receive support with starting and completing their online financial aid application. Several key enrollment departments from 新澳门六合彩开奖记录 visit Brevard schools to assist students on-site with hands-on support.

鈥淚t鈥檚 truly a collaborative effort between 新澳门六合彩开奖记录鈥檚 Outreach, Admissions, Financial Aid, and Advising teams, in partnership with school counselors, administrators and staff,鈥 said Myron Campbell, 新澳门六合彩开奖记录鈥檚 College & Career Outreach Specialist, who has coordinated this initiative for over five years.

For the 2022-23 school year, 新澳门六合彩开奖记录 hosted two well attended FAFSA nights in the fall and visited 19 area high schools this spring for 鈥淕o Higher, Get Accepted,鈥 serving over 900 high school seniors to date.

Collaboration also reached new heights this school year with the launch of the 321 FAFSA Liftoff initiative led by United Way of Brevard in partnership with Brevard Public Schools (BPS), Elevate Brevard, and 新澳门六合彩开奖记录.

United Way provided incentives in the form of mini grants to nine BPS high schools that had a five-year average of under 50% completion. These efforts were also supported by various local nonprofit organizations such as Leadership Brevard, which championed FAFSA completion as a part of its annual Community Acceleration Project.

Volunteers served in various roles such as assisting students and families, collecting data, and promoting the free financial aid application.

鈥淩eceiving an award for the highest completion rate in the state is evidence that great things can happen when efforts are coordinated,鈥 added Tripp. 鈥淭he partnership here in Brevard amongst organizations who share the same goal is exceptional.鈥

Learn more about local and state FAFSA initiatives at the following:

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