Buffalo FAFSA rates on the rebound

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The number of students applying for federal student aid as they transition into college is on the rise in Buffalo after a significant decline during the pandemic.

Students looking to enroll in colleges or universities are required to fill out The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to determine if they’re eligible for any financial assistance for tuition, housing and any accompanying fees. 

The number of students who completed the FAFSA in high schools across New York dropped 5 percentage points from before the pandemic in February 2020 through the same time this year, according to a recent report from The Education Trust New-York, a statewide education policy and advocacy organization.

The gap in completion was wider in schools serving the largest portion of students from low-income communities, the report showed, dropping 8 percent compared to the 2 percent drop at schools serving the smallest portion.

While Buffalo continues to lag behind their pre-pandemic rates, the district is seeing a rebound in students applying for federal aid.

At the end of February in 2020, just before the pandemic forced school closures, 41 percent of students in Buffalo completed the FAFSA. That dropped to 27 percent at the end of February the following year, when Buffalo was preparing to reopen its schools after nearly a full year of remote online instruction.

So far this school year, about 38 percent of students in Buffalo have applied for the FAFSA, falling just 3 percent short of pre-pandemic rates. 

That’s the largest increase seen at any of the Big Five districts in the state over the last year. 

FAFSA completion rates at Big Five districts

Source: The Education Trust – New York

*Through March 25, 2021

**Through March 25, 2022

“Kids are back in schools,” said David Rust, chief executive officer of Say Yes Buffalo, a nonprofit that provides academic and family support services to Buffalo students, including FAFSA assistance. “Counselors are back in schools, our Say Yes support staff, our partnership with UB and our team is back in schools. That’s what’s making the difference,” Rust said.

Though improving, Buffalo’s FAFSA completion rate continues to fall behind most other public districts in Erie and Niagara counties this school year. Only seven other districts have rates lower. 

Included in those are Niagara Falls and Lackawanna, which both saw a 9 percent drop in completion rates over the last year. Lackawanna has the lowest rate of any district in Erie and Niagara counties, with only 18 percent of its students completing the FAFSA so far this school year. 

The decline in FAFSA completion rates throughout New York is alarming, said Jeff Smink, deputy director of Education Trust-New York.

“Anytime we see a drop it’s really concerning,” Smink said. “But particularly with the pandemic, there could be so many different reasons why students aren’t completing it. Whether they’ve dropped out, whether they’ve had to take a job to support their family.”

“It just kind of is a wake up call, a reminder, that we need to do more to address sort of all those challenges of the pandemic,” Smink said.

Layne Dowdall