58.6 percent.
That’s the percentage of the high school class of 2026 that completed the FAFSA, the federal form required to unlock federal student aid, the National College Attainment Network reports.
The 2.4 million FAFSA completions for the class of 2026 represent a 9.6 percent change compared to the class of 2025 through the same time last year, data posted on NCAN’s website states.
Mark Kantrowitz, a financial aid expert who has written extensively about the topic, says the improvements in FAFSA completion are largely due to a successful implementation of FAFSA Simplification, as well as improvements in eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant.
Tennessee emerged as the top state for FAFSA completion, with 72.5 percent of its high school seniors having completed the form. Tennessee’s longtime standing as a leader in FAFSA completion has been credited in part to the Tennessee Promise, a statewide program launched in 2015 that offers last-dollar scholarships to high school seniors to attend the state’s public community college tuition-free. In order to be eligible for the program, students must complete the FAFSA during their senior year in high school.
EdTrust, an organization that advocates for education equity for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds, has called for states to put more resources toward universal FAFSA completion policies that essentially require or strongly encourage students to fill out the form as part of their high school experience.
“Our findings show that effective implementation is crucial,” Victoria Jackson, higher education policy assistant director at EdTrust, and Kyla Hurns, a higher education policy analyst at Ed Trust, stated in a 2026 report about universal FAFSA policies.
“Universal FAFSA policies can expand college access,” Jackson and Hurns stated, “but without adequate funding and support, they risk placing additional burdens on already stretched school staff.
