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FAFSA Application Statistics

Written by Mark Kantrowitz | Updated October 12, 2021

Almost 18 million students file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year. The following are FAFSA Application Statistics, including the number of FAFSAs filed, who files the FAFSA, and the impact on financial aid.

Number of FAFSAs

A total of 17.7 million students filed the FAFSA in 2019-2020, down from the peak of 21.9 million applicants in 2011-2012. 

About a third of undergraduate graduate students do not file the FAFSA. Of students who do not file the FAFSA, 2 million would have qualified for a Federal Pell Grant. 

This table shows the top ten states by the number of FAFSAs filed in 2019-2020.

State of Residence
Number of 
FAFSAs
California   
2,405,939
Texas                                              
1,596,986
Florida                       
1,194,684
New York                      
1,043,814
Georgia                       
690,381
Illinois                      
684,993
Pennsylvania                  
598,549
Ohio                          
584,298
North Carolina                
561,144
Michigan                      
524,969

This chart shows the number of FAFSAs submitted each year, from 1997-1998 through 2019-2020. 

number of FAFSAs submitted each year chart

Timing of the FAFSA

Of students who file the FAFSA, less than a third file the FAFSA during the first three months, from October 1 through December 31, and about half in the first six months. 

Students who file the FAFSA in the first three months tend to get twice as many grants, on average, as compared with students who file the FAFSA later.

Who Files the FAFSA?

Three quarters (74%) of female students file the FAFSA, compared with two-thirds (65%) of male students. Overall, this means that 61% of FAFSAs are filed by female students and 39% by male students.

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of low-income students file the FAFSA, compared with two-thirds (65%) of middle-income students and 59% of high-income students. More than half (57%) of FAFSAs are filed by students who are eligible for a Federal Pell Grant.

About half (48%) of FAFSAs are filed by first-generation college students.

Four-fifths (80%) of full-time students file the FAFSA, compared with almost two-thirds (64%) of part-time students. 

Of freshmen filing the FAFSA, 61% apply to just one college.

More than three quarters (77%) of dependent students file the FAFSA, compared with two-thirds (64%) of independent students. 

Two thirds (64%) of veterans file the FAFSA, compared with 71% of students who are not veterans. 

This chart shows the percentage of students who file the FAFSA by race. Three quarters (74%) of minority students file the FAFSA, compared with two-thirds (67%) of White students.

Race
% Filing the FAFSA
White
67%
Black or African American
83%
Hispanic or Latino
74%
Asian
54%
American Indian or Alaska Native
77%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
68%
More than One Race
74%

Impact of College Affordability on Filing the FAFSA

As the cost of attendance increases as a percentage of income, more students file the FAFSA. If the cost of attendance is less than 25% of income, more than half (54%) of students file the FAFSA. This increases to 75% of students for whom the cost of attendance is a quarter to half of income and to 80% for students for whom the cost of attendance is more than half of income.

But, students at lower-cost colleges are less likely to file the FAFSA.

About three-quarters of students at public and private non-profit 4-year colleges file the FAFSA, compared with 62% of students at community colleges and 88% of students at for-profit colleges. 

Two thirds (65%) of students at colleges with tuition and fees under $8,000 file the FAFSA, compared with 79% of students at more-expensive colleges.

Use of the IRS Data Retrieval Tool

Use of the IRS Data Retrieval Tool is limited. 

Only a third of parents of dependent students who filed the FAFSA in 2017-2018 and who had already filed a federal income tax return used the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. 

Only about a quarter of the students who had already filed a federal income tax return used the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.

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About the author

Mark Kantrowitz is a nationally-recognized expert on student financial aid, scholarships and student loans. His mission is to deliver practical information, advice and tools to students and their families so they can make informed decisions about planning and paying for college. Mark writes extensively about student financial aid policy. He has testified before Congress and federal/state agencies about student aid on several occasions. Mark has been quoted in more than 10,000 newspaper and magazine articles. He has written for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Reuters, Huffington Post, U.S. News & World Report, Money Magazine, Bottom Line/Personal, Forbes, Newsweek and Time Magazine. He was named a Money Hero by Money Magazine. He is the author of five bestselling books about scholarships and financial aid, including How to Appeal for More College Financial Aid, Twisdoms about Paying for College, Filing the FAFSA and Secrets to Winning a Scholarship. Mark serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Student Financial Aid and the editorial advisory board of Bottom Line/Personal (a Boardroom, Inc. publication). He is also a member of the board of trustees of the Center for Excellence in Education. Mark previously served as a member of the board of directors of the National Scholarship Providers Association. Mark is currently Publisher of PrivateStudentLoans.guru, a web site that provides students with smart borrowing tips about private student loans. Mark has served previously as publisher of the Cappex.com, Edvisors, Fastweb and FinAid web sites. He has previously been employed at Just Research, the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Bitstream Inc. and the Planning Research Corporation. Mark is President of Cerebly, Inc. (formerly MK Consulting, Inc.), a consulting firm focused on computer science, artificial intelligence, and statistical and policy analysis. Mark is ABD on a PhD in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). He has Bachelor of Science degrees in mathematics and philosophy from MIT and a Master of Science degree in computer science from CMU. He is also an alumnus of the Research Science Institute program established by Admiral H. G. Rickover.

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