SALT LAKE CITY, UT – Federal funding requests for colleges are significantly lower this year, and that could mean fewer freshmen this fall.
Prospective students can complete the free federal student grant application to qualify for subsidized student loans and other grants. FAFSA applications were down 5.8 percent across the country this year compared to the same period last year. According to an analysis of FAFSA data by the Associated Press, approximately 1.72 million students completed the application as of June 25, compared to 1.83 million in 2020.
In February of this year, FAFSA applications fell 10 percent compared to the previous year. But graduation rates rose in the spring when schools were able to hold more FAFSA aid events in schools that were canceled last year due to the pandemic.
A decline in the FAFSA graduation rate could herald lower enrollment in the fall. The 2020 class had 3.7 percent fewer FAFSA requests than the 2019 class; According to the National College Attainment Network, post-secondary enrollment decreased 6.8 percent between 2020 and 2019.
In Utah, 15,712 FAFSA applications were closed on June 25, compared with 16,933 applications at the same time last year. That is 7.2 percent less. (See how Salt Lake City high schools fare below.)
The decline is greater for Title 1 colleges, those where low-income students account for at least 40 percent of enrollment. Graduations from Title 1 high schools were down 8.83 percent, compared with a 3.86 percent decrease in non-Title 1 schools.
In Utah, completed applications from Title 1 schools decreased 13.1 percent, compared with a 7.3 percent decrease in non-Title 1 school applications on June 25.
Here’s how schools in the Salt Lake City area with FAFSA degrees do on June 25th. Additional high schools in the Salt Lake City area can be found here. Note: The percentage changes can be influenced by a relatively small difference in degrees, especially for smaller schools. FAFSA data only counts for students 19 and under.
School: Skyline High
District: Granite District
Parish: Salt Lake City
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 272
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 235
- Percentage change: 15.74
- Title 1 Status: Not Title I across the school
School: West High
District: Salt Lake District
Parish: Salt Lake City
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 246
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 205
- Percentage change: 20
- Title 1 Status: Not Title I across the school
School: Granger High
District: Granite District
Parish: West Valley City
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 185
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 218
- Percentage change: -15.14
- Title 1 Status: Title I across the school
School: Hunter High
District: Granite District
Parish: West Valley City
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 179
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 242
- Percentage change: -26.03
- Title 1 Status: Not Title I across the school
School: East High
District: Salt Lake District
Parish: Salt Lake City
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 170
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 197
- Percentage change: -13.71
- Title 1 Status: Not Title I across the school
School: Cyprus High
District: Granite District
Municipality: Magna
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 166
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 178
- Percentage change: -6.74
- Title 1 Status: Not Title I across the school
School: Highland High
District: Salt Lake District
Parish: Salt Lake City
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 162
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 173
- Percentage change: -6.36
- Title 1 Status: Not Title I across the school
School: Morgan High
District: Morgan District
Parish: Morgan
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 82
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 99
- Percentage change: -17.17
- Title 1 Status: Not Title I across the school
School: American Preparatory Academy – Accelerated School
District: American Preparatory Academy – Lea
Parish: West Valley City
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 46
- FAFSA completions total as of June 25, 2020: 29
- Percentage change: 58.62
- Title 1 Status: Title I across the school
School: Vanguard Academy
District: Avanguard Academy
Parish: West Valley City
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 33
- FAFSA completions total as of June 25, 2020: 16
- Percentage change: 106.25
- Title 1 Status: Title I across the school
School: Salt Lake Center for Science Education
District: Salt Lake Center for Science Education
Parish: Salt Lake City
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 30
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 40
- Percentage change: -25
- Title 1 Status: Title I across the school
School: Utah International Charter School
District: Utah International Charter School
Parish: South Salt Lake
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 26
- FAFSA completions total as of June 25, 2020: 19
- Percentage change: 36.84
- Title 1 Status: Not Title I across the school
School: Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts
District: Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts
Parish: Salt Lake City
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 20
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 32
- Percentage change: -37.5
- Title 1 Status: Not Title I across the school
School: Horizonte Instruction & Training Center
District: Salt Lake District
Parish: Salt Lake City
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 19
- FAFSA completions total as of June 25, 2020: 8
- Percentage change: 137.5
- Title 1 Status: Not Title I across the school
School: Innovation high school
District: Salt Lake District
Parish: Salt Lake City
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: May 18
- FAFSA completions total as of June 25, 2020: 27
- Percentage change: -33.33
- Title 1 Status: Not Title I across the school
School: East Hollywood High
Neighborhood: East Hollywood High
Parish: West Valley City
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 13
- FAFSA completions total as of June 25, 2020: 21
- Percentage change: -38.1
- Title 1 Status: Not Title I across the school
School: Roots Charter High School
Zone: Roots Charter High School
Parish: West Valley City
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 6
- FAFSA completions total as of June 25, 2020: 8
- Percentage change: -25
- Title 1 Status: Not Title I across the school
School: American Preparatory Academy – The school for new Americans
District: American Preparatory Academy – Lea
Parish: West Valley City
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2021: 5
- Total FAFSA completions as of June 25, 2020: 32
- Percentage change: -84.38
- Title 1 Status: Title I across the school
FAFSA application for the 2020-21 academic year ends on June 30 at 11:59 p.m. CT, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Many states and universities have their own grant application deadlines. In recent years there has been a push for students to complete the FAFSA earlier in their senior year.
Editor’s note: This list was automatically generated using FAFSA data analyzed by the Associated Press. Students over 19 years of age are not included in the federal high schools count. Information is not available for all schools. Schools with fewer than five degrees are not included in the data. Please report bugs or other feedback to [email protected].
Comments are closed.