Starting in the 2022-23 academic school year, high schools, and school districts (Local Education Agencies) will need to ensure that all 12th graders in the state of
California complete a FAFSA or CA Dream Act Application (CADAA), unless the student has formally submitted an opt-out waiver. The California Student Aid Commission's
"All In for FAFSA/CA Dream Act" campaign aims to expand access to financial aid to thousands of students
who may have otherwise not been aware of these opportunities. The Race to Submit Dashboard, therefore, is a tool which can be used to meet the goals of the
All In for FAFSA/CA Dream Act campaign. 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 numbers. The online tool helps measure the number of submitted
and completed financial aid applications to maximize financial aid consideration (including GPA submissions for Cal Grant awarding). This initiative aims to motivate California high schools
and districts to increase application counts 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 application, GPA submission, as well as 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 completed financial aid applications matched to GPAs (for Cal Grant consideration)
- 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 will rank schools based on 2 metrics:
- Top 10: schools with the highest percentage of completed FAFSA/CADAAs that are matched to GPAs.
- Most Improved: schools with the highest growth percentage of completed FAFSA/CADAAs that are matched to GPAs from the prior year, who achieve a
minimum of 50 percent rate for the current year.
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.