{"id":30470,"date":"2024-12-18T11:10:09","date_gmt":"2024-12-18T19:10:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nshe.nevada.edu\/system-administration\/?post_type=news&#038;p=30470"},"modified":"2025-03-10T11:53:00","modified_gmt":"2025-03-10T18:53:00","slug":"nevada-system-of-higher-education-launches-inaugural-nevada-fafsa-challenge","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/nshe.nevada.edu\/system-administration\/news\/2024\/12\/nevada-system-of-higher-education-launches-inaugural-nevada-fafsa-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"Nevada System of Higher Education Launches Inaugural Nevada FAFSA Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) is proud to announce the launch of the inaugural Nevada FAFSA Challenge, a statewide initiative to boost Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion rates among Nevada high school seniors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The competition, running from <strong>January 1 through March 31, 2025<\/strong>, invites high schools participating in NSHE\u2019s FAFSA Completion Initiative\u2014a data-sharing program that helps schools and counselors track the progress of their seniors\u2019 FAFSA completion\u2014to compete for the title of the most improved FAFSA completion rate, year-over-year. The winning school will receive a <strong>$1,000 prize<\/strong> and a recognition banner to display with pride until the next challenge in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, schools that achieve <strong>100% FAFSA completion<\/strong> will be honored at an upcoming NSHE Board of Regents meeting and featured on the NSHE and Apply Nevada websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe FAFSA is a critical first step for students seeking to unlock financial aid opportunities,\u201d said <strong>Amy J. Carvalho, Chair of the Board of Regents<\/strong>. \u201cThe Nevada FAFSA Challenge encourages schools to help their students take that step and improve their chances of achieving their higher education goals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NSHE Chancellor Patricia Charlton<\/strong> added, \u201cWe\u2019re excited to launch this initiative and partner with Nevada districts and high schools to make the college application process more accessible. Together, we\u2019re opening doors to higher education and creating pathways to success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Details of the Nevada FAFSA Challenge<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Who Can Participate:<\/strong> All high schools enrolled in NSHE\u2019s FAFSA Completion Initiative.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Competition Period:<\/strong> January 1 \u2013 March 31, 2025.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Recognition and Prizes:<\/strong> $1,000 for the most improved FAFSA completion rate, a banner for the winning school, and recognition for schools achieving 100% completion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Still Time to Sign Up<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Schools and districts not yet enrolled in NSHE\u2019s FAFSA Completion Initiative can still sign up and join the Nevada FAFSA Challenge. Participation is free, and schools can take advantage of the support and resources available to assist students with FAFSA completion. Interested districts and schools should contact <strong>Ashley Salisbury at asalisbury@nshe.nevada.edu<\/strong> for more information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why FAFSA Completion Matters<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>FAFSA completion is a critical step in accessing federal, state, and institutional financial aid. Research shows that high school seniors who complete the FAFSA are <strong>84% more likely to enroll in postsecondary education immediately after graduation<\/strong>, making this initiative an important part of improving college access and affordability in Nevada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>High schools participating in the NSHE FAFSA Completion Initiative can track their progress using the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) FAFSA tracker, ensuring transparency and real-time updates throughout the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For media inquiries, please contact Elizabeth Callahan at <a href=\"mailto:ecallahan@nshe.nevada.edu\">ecallahan@nshe.nevada.edu<\/a> or 702-522-7021.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5573,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30470","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nshe.nevada.edu\/system-administration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/30470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nshe.nevada.edu\/system-administration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nshe.nevada.edu\/system-administration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nshe.nevada.edu\/system-administration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30470"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nshe.nevada.edu\/system-administration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nshe.nevada.edu\/system-administration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nshe.nevada.edu\/system-administration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nshe.nevada.edu\/system-administration\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}