Harrisburg, PA - As advocates across the country are calling, with increasing urgency, for a concerted effort from all stakeholders to assist students and families with their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, the White House and US Department of Education (USDE) announced this week the FAFSA Week of Action to raise awareness and encourage FAFSA completion.
“The biggest barrier to entry for many of Pennsylvania’s current or prospective postsecondary students is cost, and despite resources such as the FAFSA and other sources of financial aid, too many students are forced to defer college or not attend at all,” said PDE Secretary Dr. Khalid N. Mumin. “The Commonwealth ranks 49th for state investments in higher education, causing Pennsylvania postsecondary students to incur an average of $40,000 in student debt. By investing in our system – and thus our students – we can reverse the decades of disinvestment and build a stronger higher education sector that will ensure success in our students and communities for decades to come.”
FAFSA is the sole gateway to all federal, state, and most institutional financial aid in Pennsylvania, including student loans available for all income levels. Completion is at crisis-low levels due to delays in the application release and subsequent processing and data errors, which is why it is now more important than ever for Pennsylvania to lend support to postsecondary students.
Despite decades of disinvestment in higher education in Pennsylvania, coupled with having one of the most decentralized higher education sectors in the country, the Commonwealth is faced with the unique opportunity to do right by current and future postsecondary students – whether they’re preparing for college after high school graduation, currently enrolled in two- or four-year programs, or returning to school after taking some time off.
The Shapiro Administration’s blueprint for higher education addresses more than just affordability, it would also build a new public system for higher education that unites PASSHE Universities and Community Colleges, and reinvests in our publicly-funded colleges and universities via a predictable, transparent funding formula.
As college continues to grow more expensive, enrollment is dropping, and college attainment rates are below the national average in 56 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. Many counties have little access to affordable higher education options resulting in low college-attendance rates. National experts predict the impact to postsecondary enrollment in the fall could be as bad or worse than during the COVID pandemic.
This is an emergency for PA’s higher education sector, students, and the state economy because:
- High school senior completions are down close to 23% from this time last year;
- FAFSA submission does not equal completion. Many students must also make corrections in order to get their financial aid;
- Further drops in enrollment could be devastating and force closures for more PA colleges and universities; and
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PA’s workforce sector currently faces a workforce shortage in addition to the disinvestment and decentralized higher education sector. We need 61,000 more people with the right college degrees or credentials to fill open jobs. If nothing is done, estimates show that the talent gap will increase to at least 218,000 unfilled jobs within just a decade.
Governor Shapiro’s blueprint for higher education sets the course for a new era of higher education in Pennsylvania. It is grounded in research, lessons learned from leading states, and input from vested partners. In the months ahead, the administration will continue to engage in a collaborative process to build out the details of this plan, delivering tangible results for our students, workforce, and the future of the Commonwealth.
For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Education, please visit the website or follow PDE on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Pinterest.
MEDIA CONTACT: Taj Magruder, tmagruder@pa.gov
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