* - The Race to Submit Dashboard uses the California Department of Education’s certified October 2017, census senior enrollment data.

 

 

California Public High Schools

High schools include public, continuation and alternative schools. Private and adult education schools are not included.

High School Senior Enrollment

High schools include public, continuation and alternative schools. Private and adult education schools are not included.

Application Year

Each high school senior applies for financial aid for the following college year. For example, Class of students apply for college year financial aid.

Last Updated Date

CSAC receives all federal and state applications for California aid applicants. Once the application progress period begins, the Race to Submit Dashboard is refreshed on a weekly basis with new applications and awards. Final application and award data is presented annually in the fall.

FAFSA/Dream Act Applications

Submitted

Either application submitted to the California Student Aid Commission by California high school senior class.

Completed

Either application submitted to CSAC that is complete, meaning it can be processed for financial aid.

Application Total

All Application totals represent only California high school senior class applications, a portion of all applications received by the California Student Aid Commission.

FAFSA/CA Dream Act + GPA

Submitted

Aggregate counts of FAFSAs/CA Dream Act Applications AND submitted school-verified Cal Grant Grade Point Averages (GPAs).

Completed

Aggregate counts of FAFSAs/CA Dream Act Applications AND submitted school-verified Cal Grant Grade Point Averages (GPAs) that are completed by the Cal Grant March 2 deadline.

Cal Grant Award Offers

Number or percentage of California high school seniors who were offered a Cal Grant award.

 

The 2017-18 early FAFSA initiative was implemented by the United States Department of Education (US DOE) as a way to simplify and improve the Free Application for Federal Aid (FAFSA) process. Fall 2016 marked the first time the FAFSA and CADAA (California Dream Act Application) were available starting October 1. Along with an earlier FAFSA and CADAA timeline, students were allowed to use prior prior tax information. This early financial aid initiative helped improve college choice and access to financial aid. In our 2nd year of Early FAFSA and CADAA submission, the California Student Aid Commission has collaborated with the California Department of Education and K-12 communities to launch the Race to Submit.

RACE TO SUBMIT

The Race to Submit is a statewide campaign that aims to increase the number of financial aid application for California high school seniors who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and California Dream Act Application. Filling out these financial aid applications is the first step towards college success and helps students qualify for federal and state aid to help pay for college. These efforts were modeled after the successful 2017-18 FAFSA and CADAA Completion Initiative in Riverside. The Riverside County Office of Education and Riverside County high schools increased the percentage of FAFSA and CADAA completions from 52% to 70% for the class of 2017 with their Race to Submit initiative. Their goal is to reach 93% by class of 2019.

The Race to Submit encourages all California high schools and districts to view and track their FAFSA and CADAA number. The online tool helps measure the number of submitted and completed applications. This initiative aims to motivate California high schools and districts to increase application count by supporting their students with FAFSA and CADAA submission.

During the application period, beginning October 1 and up until the March 2nd Cal Grant deadline, each high school, district, and county can use the Race to Submit to gauge the submission and completion of the FAFSA and CADAA, along with how many Cal Grants have been awarded. In the fall of each year, a performance view is displayed which totals the estimated federal Pell Grant and actual offered Cal Grant funding for each high school senior class.

The Race to Submit provides progress updates of the following data by high school, school district and county on a weekly basis:

• FAFSA/CADAA completion and submission rates
• Number of Cal Grant applications submitted and completed
• Number of students eligible for Cal Grants
• Number of Cal Grant awards

FEATURES

This Race to Submit Resource Guide provides a summary of the Race to Submit initiative, Dashboard features, FAFSA/CADAA strategies and general financial aid resources. Click on the link below to access the Race to Submit Resource Guide.

Download Race to Submit Resource Guide

Create your own reports using the following features to customize your own tables and graphs.

Search

Use our interactive search field with auto-completion to search for schools, school districts, and/or counties.

Export

Download data for all schools, school districts, and counties in CSV format.

Glossary

See a list of commonly used terms.

Comparison

Add up to 5 schools, school districts, and/or counties to view a comparison set.

View All

See a listing of all schools, school districts, or counties.

LEADERBOARD

The Leaderboard displays schools by the top 10 completed application percentages by seven levels determined by the graduating class size. The top five schools at each level will be recognized by California Student Aid Commission. The Race to Submit will celebrate the progress and success of all schools and districts that make significant strides in FAFSA and CADAA completion between October 1, 2017 and March 2, 2018.

JOIN THE RACE TO THE SUBMIT

Are you interested in supporting the Race to Submit? Starting October 1 through the March 2 Cal Grant deadline, students and families can attend FREE Cash for College workshops across California to receive assistance completing the FAFSA or CADAA and Chafee Grant for Foster Youth applications.