Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development

FAFSA Frenzy events continue throughout Missouri

Missouri’s Show-Me FAFSA Challenge Tracker is now available online as the state works toward its 55 percent FAFSA filing goal among high school seniors. The Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development (MDHEWD) launched a statewide competition in an effort to promote completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, often known as the FAFSA. Public high schools throughout Missouri are automatically entered into the Show-Me FAFSA Challenge, which kicked off its second year on Oct. 1, 2021, when the 2022-2023 FAFSA opened.

High schools can track their progress toward FAFSA completion and view trend data for more information. Public high schools throughout the state will compete with each other for scholarship prizes, which will be awarded to one student at each of the winning schools. Schools are sorted into three groups based on school size. Each group will compete for prizes in four categories, including highest completion rate, most improved completion rate, greatest percentage of lowest income students filed, and most innovative strategy.

The Most Innovative Strategy award requires submission from each school by April 1, 2022. Submissions include stories, testimonials, videos, photos, and social media screenshots. Winners in this category will be decided by a panel of judges who will review submissions.

This year’s Show-Me FAFSA Tracker includes a panel for viewing where schools land in comparison to the 55 percent statewide goal. A new set of statewide data is also available to view trends over time. Users can select multiple schools for comparison.

“FAFSA completion is often an early indicator for college enrollment, and is the primary way students become eligible for many types of financial aid,” said Jessica Duren, assistant commissioner for Communications & Outreach. “This year’s FAFSA tracker allows schools to dig a little deeper into their information. For example, districts with multiple high schools can compare each school, hopefully identifying areas of opportunity and growth.”

More than 130 public and private FAFSA Frenzy events are being held October 2021 through February 2022, where financial aid professionals, high school counselors, and other volunteers provide free assistance. The public events – held at high schools, college campuses, and community facilities – are open to all high school seniors, current college students, and adults interested in attending college.

In addition to events hosted by schools and partner organizations, MDHEWD will host the following winter FAFSA Frenzy events just ahead of the Feb. 1 Access Missouri Grant priority deadline.

• January 24 – St. Joseph Job Center
• January 26 – Columbia Job Center
• January 27 – Lebanon Job Center

Missouri students attending a FAFSA Frenzy event can apply online for one of 20 $500 Journey to College Scholarships through Scholarship Central at https://myscholarshipcentral.org/.

When attending an event, FAFSA Frenzy participants should bring:

• 2020 W-2 forms
• Copies of their 2020 tax forms
• Social Security number
• Student and parent FSA IDs (Students and parents should apply for separate usernames and passwords at gov before attending a FAFSA Frenzy event.) 

A list of public FAFSA Frenzy sites can be viewed at https://journeytocollege.mo.gov/fafsa-frenzy/. Schools and organizations can still sign up to host events this FAFSA season by visiting https://dhewd.mo.gov/ppc/fafsafrenzy.php.

For more information about the Show-Me FAFSA Challenge, visit https://dhewd.mo.gov/ppc/fafsachallenge.php. The Missouri Scholarship & Loan Foundation and the Missouri College Access Network are sponsoring the scholarship prizes.

About the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development:The department works to empower Missourians with the skills and education needed for success. More information about MDHEWD can be found at https://dhewd.mo.gov or on Facebook and Twitter @MoDHEWD.