With passage of the state budget in November 2025, Pennsylvania became the 14th state to mandate FAFSA completion as a high school graduation requirement. The requirement is intended to increase FAFSA completion and connect students with funding of which they may not be aware.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is developed and maintained by the U.S. Department of Education and is available online at StudentAid.gov.
There are numerous reasons that filing the FAFSA is critical for students and their families:
- It is the access point for most of the funding available to students for their postsecondary educational journey.
- The FAFSA is required for access to all federal aid programs, including federal student loans, federal grants, and the Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program.
- Many states, including Pennsylvania, use FAFSA to determine student eligibility for state aid programs.
- Many institutions also use the FAFSA to award their institutional funds.
Now you can add one more reason to the list: high school seniors have to file the FAFSA to graduate.
With the passing of the state budget in November 2025, Pennsylvania became the 14th state to mandate FAFSA completion as a high school graduation requirement. All high school students must complete the FAFSA or submit an exemption waiver prior to graduation. The requirement is intended to increase FAFSA completion and connect these students with funding that they may not have been aware of. When Louisiana, Illinois, Alabama, Texas, and California introduced mandatory FAFSA completion for the class of 2024, within one year of implementation nearly 27,500 new students were awarded Federal Pell Grant funding. This change can potentially increase postsecondary enrollment among these students.
Another argument for FAFSA completion is the amount of unpaid funds that remain when qualifying students do not apply. It was estimated that over $4 billion in Pell Grant funding went unawarded for the class of 2024, according to the article “New Report Highlights Benefit of Pell Grant for Students and States” from the National College Attainment Network. It is critical to encourage students to complete the FAFSA to reduce this unclaimed funding.
States have a vested interest in assisting students with FAFSA completion, including an increase in Pell Grant funding that students can use toward funding their postsecondary education. Yes, helping students complete the FAFSA is the first step in connecting them with the funding needed to afford their education beyond high school, but it is also the most important step toward building their future.
Ed Lane is higher education access partner with the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA).
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