A message for school counselors and colleagues:
This is the second year that we are pleased to announce that the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) is able to share with school districts specific, limited information about the students that have completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, form. New this year is the start date of the application window. Students seeking help to pay for college can fill out the FAFSA beginning Saturday, Oct. 1, three months earlier than previous years, using 2015 federal tax information.
ODHE, in partnership with Management Council of the Ohio Education Computer Network (MC OECN), will provide data through a secure web portal, accessed via https://www.ohio-k12.help. Your superintendent and treasurer have access to the website with an existing user name and password. The steps to access the information are below:
- After logging in, there is a green bar through the middle of the screen, with “District Profile” at the left. Next to that is “FAFSA Completion Data” – click on that.
- A message will appear that says, “Your district has not authorized the Data Access and Security Agreement. If you wish to authorize your district go here.” Click on the linked word “here.” This permits an electronic signature of the security agreement required to access the data.
- This will take you to a page with “FAFSA COMPLETION INITIATIVE” at the top. Verify your information, read the agreement, and click the TWO “Yes” buttons at the bottom to approve the Agreement and begin your access. Important note: If you completed a data sharing agreement last year, you do not have to complete another one.
- You will then be able to see the student names, dates of birth, and high school for the FAFSA Completers, based on data from the actual application on file with the federal government.
- You can download the file to match with your student rosters to identify the students that still need to complete the FAFSA.
Because the timely completion of a FAFSA form is an essential step for many families in obtaining financial aid to pursue a postsecondary education, the FAFSA Completion Initiative will enable school and district partners to identify those students who have not filed a FAFSA form and better target counseling, filing help and other resources to those students. These efforts can promote college access and success by ensuring that students, particularly those with a low family income, have access to financial aid to fund their education.
For more information, please email Jill Dannemiller, Director, Data Management and Analysis, Ohio Department of Higher Education.
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