Data Team, Part One: FAFSA Pilot Success

This fall, Cradle to Career, in collaboration with 12 community partners, is concluding our inaugural initiative to boost FAFSA completion and post-secondary enrollment in Rochester. With the support of backbone partners, Rochester Public Schools and ARCH to Philanthropy, and the expertise of RCTC, UNIDOS MN, UMR, and College Possible, we aimed to ensure that students from underestimated communities have the support they need for their educational journey.

Six engaged community-based organizations (CBOs) joined this effort, including Pamoja Women, Journie, Ethiopian Community of Rochester MN (ECRM), Community Mobilization Resource Coalition (CMRC), Rochester Community Initiative (RCI), and Alliance of Chicanos and Hispanic Latin Americans (ACHLA). Since April, we hosted 17 events throughout the city, including 16 financial aid clinics and 3 presentations, with a total attendance of 82 individuals. These events helped 31 information seekers and led to 51 students filling out their FAFSA.

We also launched a FAFSA webpage (c2cmn.com/college), which has seen over 250 views, thanks to digital billboards, flyers, brochures, and info cards distributed across Rochester. Many visitors spent significant time exploring the resources on the page, indicating strong engagement with the initiative.

As Minnesota’s FAFSA completion rate remains at 51.3%, we’re committed to addressing barriers and improving outcomes. We will apply the lessons learned from this year to continue supporting students throughout the 2024-2025 school year.

We were pleased to see many of you at the Annual Education Summit last week, where we held a session highlighting the findings and results of this initiative. Your participation is vital to shaping the future of our community’s educational efforts. Thank you!