The early FAFSA initiative was implemented by the United States Department of Education (US DOE) to simplify and improve the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process.
Fall 2016 marked the first time the FAFSA and the California Dream Act Application (CADAA) were available starting October 1. Along with an earlier FAFSA and CADAA timeline, students could
use prior-prior year tax information. This early financial aid initiative helped improve college choice and access to financial aid. In our 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 applications (FAFSAs / CADAAs) for California high school seniors. 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 Race to Submit encourages all California high schools and districts to view and track their FAFSA and CADAA completion 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 2 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 to their students.
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
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
This year, the Leaderboard ranks schools based on their percentage of completed FAFSA/CADAAs and matching GPAs that are needed for Cal Grant award consideration. The Race to Submit will celebrate
the progress and success of all schools and districts that make significant strides in FAFSA and CADAA completion after the March 2, deadline.
JOIN THE RACE TO 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 through virtual platforms
to receive assistance completing the FAFSA or CADAA and Chafee Grant for Foster Youth applications.