Education and training after high school can help students prepare for future career opportunities. Financial aid can make these pathways more affordable, but students must complete an application to learn what aid they may be eligible to receive.  

Community partners play an important role in helping students access funding for education and training after high school. High schools can work with partners in higher education, business, and nonprofit organizations to expand their capacity to support students and families. Partners may help raise awareness, train staff and volunteers, support financial aid events, and connect students with additional resources

Want to better understand how you can support your K–12 district and campus partners this school year? Keep reading to learn more about the following:

      1. Texas' financial aid application graduation requirement
      2. How to conduct a needs assessment
      3. How to build capacity
      4. How to be a strong partner

Note: Texas OnCourse wants to be a resource for all Texas students and their families, no matter where they’re coming from or where they’re going. When available, we will provide links to documents and resources in both English and Spanish. When translations are not available, or to view links in other languages, consider using a Google Chrome browser and use the translate function. 

 

Understand Texas’ financial aid application graduation requirement

Since the 2021–22 school year, each student graduating from a high school in a Texas public school district or open-enrollment charter school must take one of the following actions to graduate:

    • Complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
    • Complete and submit the Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA)
    • Submit a signed opt-out form
   Line of grad students

 

Note: Community partners can share information about the graduation requirement and available financial aid support. Questions about completing or submitting an opt-out form should be referred to the student’s school counselor or district. 

Completing a financial aid application allows colleges to determine whether students may qualify for federal, state, or institutional aid. Scholarships and other funding opportunities may have separate applications.  

Visit the Texas Education Agency to learn more about this legislative requirement. And keep reading to learn how you can be a strong community partner to the schools and districts you serve this year.

 

  

 

Conduct a needs assessment

To carry out a successful financial aid application completion drive, high schools can’t work alone. But what role should a community partner play in supporting district and campus efforts?

   woman leading meeting

 

To start, conduct a needs assessment. This will show you how to best allocate support to the districts and campuses you work with. Coordinate with school leaders to better understand their current capacity and any gaps in student support. Consider using the following guided questions in your needs assessment:

    • Who does the campus or district already partner with?
    • What is our organizational niche, and what support are we best positioned to provide?
    • Is there a particular student population that needs additional support at the campus or district?
    • What connections to the community do we have that our partnering school or district may not have?
    • What resources could we leverage to support our partnering school or district?

Consider some ways that partners can support district completion efforts:

    • Donate time. School counseling teams often have many duties to perform. That’s also true for community-based organizations already on high school campuses. Volunteers from your organization can help campuses manage their financial aid completion initiatives. They can also provide individualized support to students and their families.
    • Provide expertise. Organizations that already understand financial aid or have other financial knowledge can lend their support to school staff and students. For example, a tax preparation company might send volunteers to work with students and families at a campus financial aid event.
    • Expand access. Partners may have strong relationships with certain groups in the school community. Knowing how to best reach and interact with those populations can be a huge asset to schools. 
    • Widen impact. Partners can increase the impact of financial aid events by promoting student and family engagement. For example, businesses and other community partners can offer donations to raffle at a school financial aid event.
    • Extend credibility and influence. Community leaders such as elected officials and school board members can use their visibility and trusted positions to support campus efforts. Raising awareness about the importance of applying for financial aid and pursuing postsecondary education and training can be particularly helpful.
    • Increase efficiency. Boost overall efforts by partnering with several schools and districts. For example, a business might offer an event space with computers to host an event for several campuses. Staff can then serve as volunteers at the event.

Resource spotlight: Use this Financial Aid Needs Assessment with leaders in your community and partnering school districts. 

  

 

Build capacity

Any effort to boost financial aid completion rates requires significant resources. Engaging with families and training staff can build a campus’s capacity to provide services to students. The more capacity a campus has, the more likely they can meet the needs of all students – especially those who aren’t receiving support elsewhere.

 

   Adult male helping student on computer

 

Districts often need help with family engagement, direct support to students and families, and outreach. Before supporting a financial aid event, make sure volunteers review current FAFSA and TASFA guidance and the district’s event procedures. Federal Student Aid’s FAFSA resources, including training presentations and demonstration tools, can help volunteers become familiar with the current form before assisting students and families. Consider a few ways that external partners can help build capacity for a school district or campus: 

    • Provide direct support. Trained and district-approved volunteers can guide students and families through the application process. Volunteers should follow campus procedures, protect personal information, and refer questions involving financial aid eligibility, dependency overrides, or unusual or special circumstances to the student’s college financial aid office. School counselors may also help students identify appropriate next steps or documentation.
    • Increase family engagement. If your organization works with parents, you may be well positioned to support a campus’s family engagement efforts. It’s likely that you can leverage the trust and relationships you’ve built with your clients to encourage their participation in something new.
    • Enhance marketing and communications. Help campuses spread financial aid awareness to students and families. Consider your current audience and any mailing list you use. These connections could make it easy to increase family attendance at an upcoming financial aid event or to recruit volunteers to work with students and families. And don’t forget the power of social media! Use your online network to connect with students and their families, the districts you serve, and other college-access advocates.

Resource spotlight:  Download or bookmark Texas OnCourse’s Financial Aid Event Planning Guide to find financial aid resources you can share with your high school partners.

  

 

Be a strong partner

Collaborative planning is critical for a successful financial aid initiative. Work with campus and district leaders to create a plan that lays out goals and metrics, partner roles and responsibilities, and clear accountability measures. Determine whether student information is needed and establish procedures for sharing and protecting data in accordance with FERPA, applicable state law, and district policy. Obtain written consent when required and limit access to the information necessary for your approved role. Community partners should not assume that their partnership with a district automatically gives them access to student-level records or financial aid completion data.   

   diverse group of happy adults

 

Once you’ve determined your role and responsibilities, figure out what must come next. If you know you'll be providing direct support to students and families, keep in mind where they're likely to need assistance:

  • Understanding which financial aid application is appropriate for the student  
  • Creating and accessing a StudentAid.gov account  
  • Providing the required consent and approval to transfer federal tax information directly from the IRS into the FAFSA  
  • Determining a student’s dependency status 
  • Identifying and inviting the correct contributor(s) and troubleshooting contributor access  
  • Addressing special circumstances 
  • Following up with next steps (completing verification if selected, comparing financial aid offers, accepting aid, etc.) 

 

Each student and each required contributor must access and complete their required FAFSA sections using their own StudentAid.gov account. Partners should never create an account for someone else or ask for, record, or use another person’s username, password, or authentication code. Partners should also follow district procedures for handling or viewing tax documents and other sensitive information and should not retain copies unless specifically authorized. During financial aid events, it also helps to have resources available to answer students’ and families’ frequently asked questions:  

 

For additional support working directly with students and families, check out our Counselor and Advisor webpage. It provides tools, resources, and best practices that can support your work.

For other ideas on how you can be a strong partner, check out NCAN’s FAFSA resource library and Federal Student Aid’s FAFSA Central. 

 

Resource spotlight: Looking for more ideas on how to build strong district partnerships? Check out Texas OnCourse’s Community Partnership Spotlights. These short case studies highlight the financial aid application needs of school districts around the state and the solutions that community organizations found through their partnerships. Find links to resources, action items you can implement, and lessons learned.

  

Know when to refer 

Community partners can help students and families navigate routine application processes, find resources, and understand next steps. Refer questions about the graduation requirement or opt-out process to the student’s school counselor or district. Refer questions involving financial aid eligibility, unusual or special circumstances, dependency overrides, or institutions-specific financial aid decisions to the college or university’s financial aid office. For technical FAFSA account or form issues, use current Federal Student Aid support resources. 

  

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Resource Library

Check out the following links for ideas and resources that can help you best support the schools and districts you serve this school year.

 

Introduction 

Understand Texas' graduation requirement

Conduct a needs assessment

Build capacity

Be a strong partner

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