Alabama Possible, a statewide nonprofit that breaks down barriers to prosperity, today announced that 138 schools will receive the Best Hustle Award for successfully improving their early Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion by at least 10 percent from 2021 to 2022.

Early completion is defined as completion during the first two months of the FAFSA cycle (i.e., October and November).

In Baldwin County schools that met the requirements were Baldwin County Virtual School and Fairhope High School.

Cash for College, a component of the Alabama Goes to College campaign, works with school counselors, career coaches, and other educators at high schools across the state to equip students to continue their education after high school by completing their FAFSA.

This year, 376 Alabama high schools are participating in the Alabama Goes to College campaign. As of early December, more than 13,000 Alabama high school seniors have already completed the FAFSA. High school educators know FAFSA is the gateway to postsecondary financial aid and assist their students in completing this critical task before graduation.

Since the implementation of the state's first universal FAFSA policy, Alabama ranked send in the nation in year-over-year percentage change in FAFSA completion for the graduating class of 2022.

Even more encouraging, low-income, high minority, and rural schools in Alabama have seen a greater year-over-year increase in FAFSA completion than their counterparts.

"We congratulate our Best Hustle Award recipients and encourage them to keep the momentum going for FAFSA completion as a strategy to removing financial barriers to postsecondary education," said Chandra Scott, executive director of Alabama Possible. "It's encouraging when you see policy and practice come together to create positive outcomes for students."

Any student seeking federal or state financial aid – including grants, loans, and work-study programs – must complete the FAFSA. The form is often used to determine a student's eligibility for scholarships and institutional aid also. Most Alabama students qualify for Pell Grant aid of up to $6,895 per year. Students can use Pell Grants for two-year and four-year technical and academic programs. If you want to learn more about the FAFSA and Cash for College, visit alabamagoestocollege.org.