“… But according to the latest analysis from NerdWallet, some 1.45 million high school graduates didn’t fill out a FAFSA in 2014. Not all of them would be grant eligible, so the study cuts that figure down to around 750,000 graduates who would have been able to claim some federal Pell grant money. On average, these students were leaving $1,861 in grant money on the table, but in several places that average was well over $2,000, peaking at $2,639 (Mississippi) and $2,513 (Washington, D.C.) per student.” …
Following down the rabbit hole, I found this:
That seems like a very problematic assumption.
To me, as well. I didn’t file a FAFSA for kid #2. I knew very well that he wouldn’t get anything but loans at his state school. People like me don’t complete the FAFSA … and I would never assume that an equal number of low income folks don’t file “just because.” How do they know there is an equal number??