Action Plan/Data Review

• Develop a post-secondary action team (compensated for extra hours if needed).
• Create an action plan incorporating college-going steps.
• Submit a Data Use Agreement to the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential to access student-level FAFSA completion data.
• Monitor action plans and data from the Michigan FAFSA tracker and MiSSG Portal and prioritize meeting one-on-one with students and families who have not yet filed their FAFSA.
• Use internal and external data to track progress. Sign up for FAFSA completion updates to automatically receive emails.

One-on-one Meetings

• Provide after-hours and weekend support (compensate staff for extra hours if necessary).
• Use data to schedule 1:1 meetings (virtual or in-person) with families and students who have not yet submitted their FAFSA.
• Track interactions using an action plan or data-tracking system.

Parent Communication and Engagement

• Provide families with a checklist/timeline of postsecondary planning expectations beginning in 11th grade.
  • Provide opportunities for family information sessions beginning in 11th grade (provide gas cards for travel, refreshments, and snacks as needed).
• Provide individualized communication to families and students.
  • Provide support in target home languages. (Email Kelly Mistry for interpretation support through LanguageLine.)
• Offer after-hours and virtual FAFSA completion support for families and students.
• Include communications, materials, and support at all school events (arts, athletics, curriculum nights)
• Incorporate the Michigan Achievement Scholarship and other state and local aid information into FAFSA discussions.
• Provide academic incentives for engagement in FAFSA completion events

Dedicated Support

• Partner with nonprofits to expand postsecondary structures and systems in the school or across the district (i.e. Jobs for Michigan Graduates, Youth Solutions, OneGoal, Equal Opportunity Schools).
• Hire school alumni or apply for a college adviser through AdviseMI.
• Support FAFSA champions: school staff designated to lead FAFSA completion efforts.
• Hire a dedicated FAFSA/postsecondary transition support person or FAFSA champion.
• Provide stipends to support additional hours for after-school/weekend events or meetings.
• Provide opportunities for athletic coaches, teachers, and additional staff to support/follow up with students and families for consistent messaging by trusted adults across the community.

Shared Ownership

• Participate in College Bound Michigan and engage in the College Cash Campaign — providing dedicated time during the school day to push into classes or pull-out students for FSA ID creation and FAFSA filing support.
• Ensure that all professionals have adequate training on supporting FAFSA completion.
• Adopt a senior exit/graduation checklist inclusive of FAFSA completion and send updated status reports to students and families.
• Create a universal FAFSA policy. A universal FAFSA policy would make it a requirement that all graduating seniors need to complete the FAFSA. Having a FAFSA on file puts the choice in students’ hands on their next steps instead of the FAFSA being a barrier to enrolling in postsecondary education.
• Provide paid professional development opportunities for staff supporting college-going culture.
• Embed a college and career exploration course. 
  
   

Student Enrichment

• Provide guest speakers/seminars for students.
• Provide students opportunities to visit college campuses (transportation, food, lodging if applicable).
• Include other grade levels in Decision-Day events.
• Provide students opportunities for career exploration (field trips).
• Provide funds for in-house summer programming (college boot camp, leadership, orientations).
• Provide funds to support student leadership and growth opportunities.
• Host or travel to college fairs.
• Provide funds for ACT/SAT preparation and exams, dual enrollment programs, and AP Classes/Exams. 
  
   

Support from Postsecondary Education Partners

• Connect with regional higher education representatives to support local high school counselors, individual students, and families.
• Invite college representatives to the high school for transition planning, inclusive of FAFSA filing support.
• Incorporate FAFSA completion support in summer melt and transition support programming.

Community Ambassadors, Local College Access Networks, and Community Organizations

• Leverage community partners to support FAFSA completion efforts.
• Provide community organizations with materials to post throughout the community.

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act requires that each local education agency (LEA) has a liaison to serve homeless children and youth and that each liaison shall ensure that unaccompanied homeless youth (UHY) are informed of their status as independent students and can obtain assistance from the LEA liaison to receive verification of such status for purposes of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) [42 U.S.C. § 11432(g)(6)(A)(x)(III)]. This independent status for UHY allows students to submit the FAFSA without a parent’s signature or information about the parent’s income on the FASFA. LEA liaisons may be asked to verify a youth’s status as UHY.

• Federal Student Aid Resource: Student Homelessness Question | Federal Student Aid
• Federal Student Aid Resource: FAFSA® Tips for Unaccompanied Homeless Youth | Federal Student Aid
• National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth Resource: Helping Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Access College Financial Aid
• SchoolHouse Connection Resource: The FASFA Simplification Act:  Youth Experiencing Homelessness and Youth with Experience in Foster Care
• Federal Student Aid Resource: FAFSA® Simplification Act Changes for Implementation in 2023-24

Youth who were engaged in the foster care system after the age of 13, regardless of the outcome of the case, will file the FAFSA as “independent” and will be eligible for the full Pell Grant.     

• Youth should indicate “YES” to the question regarding “Independent Status.”
• If financial verification is needed for the Financial Aid Office, MDHHS will provide a DHS-945 form upon request.

Federal Student Aid Resource: Foster Care FAFSA Information

Students who have immigrated to the United States may be eligible to complete the FAFSA.

• Federal Student Aid Resource: Eligible Noncitizen Update – Afghan Arrivals
• Federal Student Aid Resource: Eligibility for Non-U.S. Citizens | Federal Student Aid
• Federal Student Aid Resource: Undocumented Students and Financial Aid | Federal Student Aid