SHOW-ME FAFSA CHALLENGE logoThe Show-Me FAFSA Challenge is a statewide FAFSA completion competition among Missouri public high schools. Schools will compete with each other for scholarship prizes to be awarded to one of their students in categories such as highest completion rate and most improved completion rate.

 

Social Media Campaigns

 

In order to encourage participation in completing the FAFSA, MDHEWD created a toolkit of pre-made social media graphics and captions that high schools can use on their own social media platforms. The posts can help generate excitement, remind students of the common FAFSA mistakes, and to file their FAFSA. Find the social media toolkit at https://thesocialpresskit.com/journeytocollege

 

Click the image below to access the tracker.

 

Click here to see your school's ranking.

 

2022-23 Competition Structure


The Show-Me FAFSA Challenge will be active from Oct. 1 2022, when the 2023-2024 FAFSA opens, until April 1, 2023, the Access Missouri state aid deadline. Schools may monitor progress using the Show-Me FAFSA Challenge tracker throughout the competition period.

 

School Participation


Every public high school in the state is automatically eligible for participation, and automatically appears on the Show-Me FAFSA Challenge online tracker. Schools are sorted into three groups by size as follows:

 

Group School Size
(Number of students)
Number of Schools in group Number of students in group*
A 1-500 368 schools

67,114 students

B 501-1200 84 schools 64,082 students
C 1200+ 86 schools 141,312 students

*Estimates based on 2022 academic year 9-12 enrollment projections

 

Schools with five or fewer seniors appear on the online tracker, but show no data for security purposes. Schools showing no data may contact FAFSACompletionProject@dhewd.mo.gov for information on obtaining their completion status percentages.

 

The list of schools in each group will be published by MDHEWD at the start of the competition. The list supersedes any school population fluctuations that occur throughout the academic year.

 

 

 

Award Categories

 

Schools will compete against other schools in their group in the following areas:

 

1. Highest Completion Overall

The school with the highest FAFSA completion percentage on April, 1, 2023, will win this category. In the event of a tie, a random drawing will be held between tied schools

 

2. Most Improved Completion

The school with the greatest percentage increase in FAFSA completions as of April 1, 2023, will win this category. In the event of a tie, a random drawing will be held between tied schools.

 

3. Greatest Percentage of Lowest Income Students Filed

The school with the greatest percentage of their total filers who are Pell Grant eligible as of April 1, 2023, will win this category. In the event of a tie, a random drawing will be held between tied schools.

 

4. Most Innovative Strategy

This award requires a submission from each school by April 1, 2023. 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.

 

Click here for the submission form.

 

Prizes

 

Prizes will be awarded for the winner in each category in each group and the winner of the statewide drawing. Each category prize is a scholarship of $750. The statewide drawing prize is a $1,000 scholarship.

 

Winning schools will designate one of their graduating seniors who will attend a Missouri institution in 2022 and has filed a FAFSA form as the scholarship recipient. Schools that win in the “Greatest Number of Lowest Income Students Filed” category must designate a winner that is Pell Grant eligible in addition to the previous requirements. MDHEWD recommends choosing prize recipients by random drawing of eligible seniors, however schools may choose a different selection method if desired. If a different method is used, the selection process must be shared with MDHEWD.

 

The school will be responsible for sending the recipient’s name, contact information, and institution information to MDHEWD by the deadline given in their winner notification email. If the school has no seniors that meet the given criteria, the prize will be awarded to the second-place school in the category or the drawing will be conducted again.

 

Scholarship funds will be disbursed by the Show-Me FAFSA Challenge Sponsors directly to the recipient’s Missouri institution.



Thank you to the Show-Me FAFSA Challenge Sponsors!

 

Missouri Scholarship & Loan Foundation Logo        Missouri College Access Network (MOCAN) Logo

 

 

Previous Show-Me FAFSA Challenges