RACE TO SUBMIT
The 2024-25 Race to
Submit is a statewide campaign that aims to increase the
number of financial aid applications for California high school
seniors who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid
(FAFSA) and California Dream Act Application (CADAA). Filling out
these financial aid applications is the first step towards
college success and helps students qualify for federal and state
aid to help pay for college. These efforts were modeled after the
successful 2017-18 FAFSA and CADAA Completion Initiative in
Riverside.
The Race to Submit encourages all California high schools and districts to view and track their FAFSA and CADAA number. The online tool helps measure the number of submitted and completed applications. This initiative aims to motivate California high schools and districts to increase application count by supporting their students with FAFSA and CADAA submission.
During the application period, beginning late December for the 2024-25 application cycle and up until the April 2 Cal Grant deadline, each high school, district, and county can use the Race to Submit to gauge the submission and completion of the FAFSA and CADAA, along with how many Cal Grants have been awarded. The Race to Submit Dashboard will continue to track FAFSA/CADAA submissions through June 30 as part of the 2024-25 Race to Submit Campaign. This benefits those students attending community colleges or foster youth and have FAFSA/CADAA deadline extensions.
The Race to Submit provides progress updates of the following data by high school, school district and county on a weekly basis:
- FAFSA/CADAA completion and submission rates
- Number of Cal Grant applications submitted and completed
- Number of students eligible for Cal Grants
- Number of Cal Grant awards
CSAC Student Ambassador Program
Congratulations to our first cohort of Student Ambassadors from El Camino Real Charter High School! A huge thank you to our first Program Facilitator, Sylvia Yi, for recruiting and supporting the Student Ambassadors. These students presented to their peers about the importance of completing a financial aid application to support the All In for FASFA/CA Dream Act initiative. If you are interested in bringing the Student Ambassador program to your campus, please complete the Program Facilitator interest form here.
Financial Aid for All Symposium & Race to Submit Award Ceremony 2021
FEATURES
The Race to Submit provides progress updates of the following data by high school, school district and county on a weekly basis:
Race to Submit Resource Guide: Race to Submit Resource Guide
Create your own reports using the following features to customize your own tables and graphs.
- Search – Use our interactive search field with auto-completion to search for schools, school districts, and/or counties.
- Export – Download data for all schools, school districts, and counties in CSV format.
- Glossary – See a list of commonly used terms.
- Comparison – Add up to 5 schools, school districts, and/or counties to view a comparison set.
- View All – See a listing of all schools, school districts, or counties.
LEADERBOARD
The Leaderboard measures the completion of the FAFSA/CA Dream Act application along with the matching of the GPA which allows the applicant to be considered for a Cal Grant. The Race to Submit will celebrate the success of the top three schools and districts from each level with the highest number in FAFSA and CADAA and GPA completion for the 2024-25 application cycle that are submitted between late December through the April 2 Cal Grant deadline. Once the April 2 competition has closed, the June 30 campaign will begin and continue to track submissions.
JOIN THE RACE TO THE SUBMIT
Are you interested in supporting the Race to Submit? Starting January for the 2024-25 application cycle and up until the April 2 Cal Grant deadline, students and families can attend FREE Cash for College workshops across California to receive assistance completing the FAFSA or CADAA and Chafee Grant for Foster Youth applications. Once the April 2 competition has closed, the June 30 campaign will begin and continue to track submissions.
STATEWIDE RACE TO SUBMIT WINNERS
2023-24 Race to Submit Winners: March 2nd
2023-24 Race to Submit Winners: June 30th
GLOSSARY
General Terms
California Public High Schools – High schools include public, continuation and alternative schools. Private and adult education schools are not included.
High School Senior Enrollment – High schools include public, continuation and alternative schools. Private and adult education schools are not included.
Application Year – Each high school senior applies for financial aid for the following college year. For example, Class of 2024 students apply for 2024-25 college year financial aid.
Last Updated Date – CSAC receives all federal and state applications for California aid applicants. Once the application progress period begins, the Race to Submit Dashboard is refreshed on a weekly basis with new applications and awards. Final application and award data is presented annually in the fall.
FAFSA/Dream Act Applications
Submitted – Either application submitted to the California Student Aid Commission by California high school senior class.
Completed – Either application submitted to CSAC that is complete, meaning it can be processed for financial aid.
Application Total – All Application totals represent only California high school senior class applications, a portion of all applications received by the California Student Aid Commission.
FAFSA/CA Dream Act + GPA
Submitted – Aggregate counts of FAFSAs/CA Dream Act Applications AND submitted school-verified Cal Grant Grade Point Averages (GPAs).
Completed - Aggregate counts of FAFSAs/CA Dream Act Applications AND submitted school-verified Cal Grant Grade Point Averages (GPAs) that are completed by the Cal Grant April 2 deadline.
Cal Grant Award Offers - Number or percentage of California high school seniors who were offered a Cal Grant award.
Please visit our Cal Grant Success Dashboard for more information