FAFSA Fast Track Competition

View the official flyer > Click Here

Who is eligible?

Eligible schools include public high schools, community schools established under Chapter 3314 of the Ohio Revised Code, and STEM schools established under Chapter 3326 of the Ohio Revised Code.

Additionally, a high school must have fall 2024 enrollment data reported by the district provided to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, and FAFSA completion data reported by Federal Student Aid as of April 11, 2025.

When is the competition?

FAFSA completion rates will be evaluated April 21 – May 9, 2025. Awards will be distributed to winning schools by June 30, 2025.

What do the numbers on the leaderboard tell me?

• Potential Apps
  The number to the far right (in gray) shows a school’s potential for completed FAFSAs by the end of the Ohio FAFSA Fast Track competition. This potential is the estimated fall 2024 grade 12 headcount minus the number of completed FAFSAs on the March 31, 2025, baseline date.
  
  
• Completed Competitive Apps
  The number (in green) to the left of the Potential Apps shows the progress or number of completed FAFSAs out of the potential, as of a given date beyond the baseline count. The green bar grows as applications are completed.
  
  Moving the cursor over the gray or green bar displays a data story point for a specific school.

How will high schools be ranked?

Rankings will be determined by grouping high schools using the enrollment data sourced from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce by grade 12 class size for a FAFSA completion competition, with groups defined as follows: Small High School (up to 60 seniors), Medium (61–125 ), Large (126–300), and Very Large (more than 300). During a designated three-week sprint, schools will be ranked within their respective groups based on the number of FAFSAs completed. FAFSA counts will be sourced directly from Federal Student Aid (FSA) to ensure accuracy and consistency.

Clicking a group name (ex., Small High Schools…) will expand the view for all schools and their ranking.

Data Sources Used

• US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid (FSA)
  The FSA website is the data source for weekly FAFSA completed application counts for Ohio schools. FSA completed apps are from first-time filers who are 19 years old or younger on June 30 of the high school year. This count includes underclass persons who complete a FAFSA.

See: https://studentaid.gov/data-center/student/application-volume/fafsa-completion-high-school

• Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW)
  The ODEW website is used for October grade 12 counts for Ohio schools, which are also referred to as the school’s enrollment. Schools and districts provide the counts to ODEW, which releases the data in January of each year. If you have questions about grade 12 counts, contact the district, school, or ODEW.

See: https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Data/Frequently-Requested-Data/Enrollment-Data

More about FAFSA in Ohio
For more information about Ohio FAFSA, visit the Ohio Department of Higher Education website: https://highered.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/odhe/initiatives/affordability/fafsa/fafsa 

Updated: Apr/2025