State Update North Carolina State Education Assistance

State Update North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority Kathryn Marker November 10, 2021

Outline Organizational News State Programs and FAFSA Trends FAFSA Outreach and Financial Aid Training State Budget and Legislative Update 2

Organizational News: Staff Julia Hoke – Retired July 2021 Leslie Karkanawi – new General Counsel Nikole Nickerson – new College Access and FAFSA Outreach Manager Michelle Hemmer – President-Elect of NCASFAA 3

Organizational News: SEAA is moving 3120 Poplarwood Court Raleigh, NC 27604 January 2022 4

State-Funded Need-Based Grants 2020-21 120,000,000 100,000,000 80,000,000 Lottery Fund Escheat Fund General Fund 60,000,000 ELS: 26,337 students (CC and UNC) 40,000,000 NBS: 18,393 students CCG: 19,976 students UNC: 51,610 students 20,000,000 0 7 8 9 0 1 -1 7 -1 8-1 9- 2 0 -2 6 1 1 1 1 2 20 20 20 20 20 Community College Grant 7 8 9 0 1 -1 7 -1 8 -1 9 -2 0 -2 6 1 1 1 1 2 20 20 20 20 20 7 8 9 0 1 -1 7 -1 8 -1 9 -2 0 -2 6 1 1 1 1 2 20 20 20 20 20 Education Lottery Scholarship 7 8 9 0 1 -1 7-1 8- 1 9 -2 0 -2 6 1 1 1 1 2 20 20 20 20 20 UNC NeedBased Grant Need-Based Scholarship 5

NC Assist Loans: growth Loans to bridge the gap between cost of attendance and other financial aid Number of loans approved FY21, over FY20: 15.7% No fees; compare to federal rates Serviced by CFI, the state’s nonprofit lender 6

FAFSA stats: HS students As of October 22, 2021 15.2% of NC seniors completed (#3 nationally after Illinois and Kentucky) NC is #36 in terms of % change over last year (-11.6%) Nationally: 10.6% of the HS class of 2022 have completed (428,008 students) which is a -10.2% change over this point last year 7

FAFSA: technical issues FAFSA.gov roles-based change: Allows only the parent to transfer data from one sibling to another sibling’s form May cause confusion depending on point of entry (going to studentaid.gov first, then FAFSA; may have to choose role twice) Parent needs to be sure they are logged in as parent (don’t want system to think parent is a student) FAFSA seems to be more unstable than in the past Solutions include: Clear browser cache for “all history” Firefox may work better than Chrome, Edge, or Safari Disable pop-up blockers Use mobile app instead of FOTW https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/receiving-error-completing-fafsa 8

FAFSA Outreach Fall 2021: Countdown to College (FAFSA Day 10/23/21) 30 sites hosted Drive-In events on FAFSA Day! Spring 2022: considering FAFSA events with a focus on adult learners

Finish the FAFSA North Carolina’s FAFSA Completion Initiative Free Available within CFNC ProTools Senior lists from NC DPI Matched with federal FAFSA filer data Helps education professionals help students: 10

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CFNC En Español and other CFNC news ProTools A brand new CFNC Professional Center is coming soon: it’s called CFNC Professional Tools. Career Tools/NCcareers A new partnership brings updated career assessments and career content. 12

NC 529 / SEAA events on CFNC Easier processing of payments: ACH files for 4 of NC’s larger schools are live: more efficient Webinar 11/18 for families; how to use funds Questions? Reach out to CFI SEAA and CFNC will offer financial aid training to high school education professionals (you’re welcome too if you want!) next week Tricky Financial Aid situations, FAFSA Tools, CFNC ProTools, and more Free Virtual 13

New FAA Training Experienced North Carolina financial aid professionals will lead a virtual training series, using instructional materials from NASFAA for 7 sessions. In an additional 2 sessions, the SEAA team will present State Programs and Program Review. 11/15/2021 through 12/9/2021 2:00-3:30 each day Via GoToWebinar Free 14

Updates: COVID Funding via SEAA / State Budget COVID-19 Funding: private institutions 30m CRF ( 25m student aid & online learning; 5m PPE) 4m NC Resilience (direct student aid) 4m Longleaf Complete (financial aid grants and student support services) COVID-19 Funding: community colleges State Budget 25m Longleaf Commitment Grant HS class of 2021 700 to 2,800 for full-time enrollment Through state grant system (CFI) As of the preparation for this State Update, North Carolina’s conference budget has not been released. Stay tuned! 15

Legislative Update: Higher Ed Simplification UNC NeedBased Grant Education Lottery Schol. UNC System Students General Fund Community College Grant CC System Students Lottery Fund Escheat Fund NC Scholarship UNC System Students CC System Students 16

Questions? Andrea Poole Executive Director [email protected] Kathryn Marker, Ph.D. Director of Grants, Training, and Outreach [email protected] Kevin Lineberry Deputy Director of Grants, Training, and Outreach [email protected]