ST. LOUIS — The Higher Education Loan Authority for the State of Missouri (MOHELA) awarded funding to help boost FAFSA completions across communities in Missouri.

Thanks to MOHELA’s Mission-Mini Grants, more than $88,600 supported events across 70 counties hosted by local colleges, universities, high schools and nonprofits for students and families to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application and/or to better understand the application process, according to a press release.

The U.S. Department of Education redesigned the Free Application for Federal Student Aid FAFSA in an attempt to streamline the process. 

Despite the federal government’s goal of improving the form, countless families across Missouri and nationwide have been met with delays and setbacks.

"We anticipated challenges with the rollout of the new FAFSA for 2024-2025, but no one predicted the extent of the delay and glitches students and families would face when trying to complete the form," said Melissa Findley, executive director of the Missouri Scholarship & Loan Foundation. 

"Our Mission-Mini Grants provide essential funding to ensure Missouri's student community is well-informed on the latest FAFSA changes, best positioning students to access critical financial aid assistance for their higher education journey and boosting our state's overall FAFSA completion rates."

As of May 31, less than 40% of Missouri high school seniors had completed the 2024-25 FAFSA, according to the National Attainment Network’s FAFSA Tracker. That number is below the national average of 43%.

"Many students rely on FAFSA and the financial assistance it provides to pursue their higher education goals," said Scott Giles, CEO and executive director of MOHELA.

"FAFSA completion is one of the most important steps students can take to pay for college, but the confusion surrounding the rollout of this year's new FAFSA program presented unprecedented challenges for families navigating the application process. This year's challenges make the Foundation's commitment to boosting FAFSA completion in our communities more valuable than ever."