What do FAFSA completion rates look like post-pandemic?

Lower shares of middle-income students in the class of 2023 completed the federal financial aid form than those who graduated before the health crisis.

Federal student aid in the U.S. depends on one form — the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or the FAFSA. But not every student fills it out.

Recently, researchers at The Century Foundation, a left-leaning think tank, looked closely at completion rates for the FAFSA and cataloged some surprising trends. 

Among them: Completion rates for low-income students have mostly rebounded after dips seen during the pandemic, while completion rates for most other income groups have declined. Middle-income students, in particular, still have lower completion rates than they did pre-pandemic.