M³ leaders to talk about importance for high school seniors to fill out FAFSA

Filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is important to unlocking access to higher education for students. But nationwide, 100,000 fewer high school seniors completed the FAFSA this past fall compared to 2019, according to the National College Attainment Network.

The M³ initiative is committed to addressing the decline and getting more students to fill out the FAFSA. A groundbreaking partnership connecting Milwaukee Public Schools, Milwaukee Area Technical College and the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, M³ (pronounced M-cubed) already has helped increase MPS high school graduation rates and increased the number of MPS graduates going directly to college.

Completing the FAFSA form is the critical first step to receiving financial aid, including federal and state grants, federal loans and institutional aid. The FAFSA also can be used to help determine eligibility for other types of need-based aid, such as federal CARES grants that have been distributed to help students pay for emergency expenses due to the pandemic.

In the next session of M³ | Education Transformed, a virtual event series, the leaders of Milwaukee’s three largest urban institutions of public education will talk about the importance of the FAFSA in the college application process and discuss M³ strategies to remind and encourage students to complete the form.

M³ partner strategies include:

• In-person FAFSA support: April 12–23 at MPS high schools
• Virtual support every day at MPS College and Career Center
• MATC Live! Financial Aid Session
• Paid MPS, MATC, and UW System advertising to promote FAFSA

Presenters also will offer suggestions for how family members, friends and anyone else in the community can support students accessing higher education and encourage completion of the FAFSA form.

WHEN: Wednesday, April 14, 8:45 to 9:15 a.m.
WHERE: via Zoom — Register here.