REAL AND PERCEIVED FINANCIAL AND FINANCIAL AID OBSTACLES: AN EXAMINATION OF THE FACTORS THAT IMPACT THE COMPLETION OF THE FREE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID AND THE TRANSITION FROM SECONDARY TO POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION IN U.S. HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Using data from the National Center for Education Statistic’s High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), this study examines the factors affecting FAFSA completion for U.S. high school students as they transition from high school to college. Participants of HSLS:09 were surveyed beginning in their freshman year of high school and continue to be followed through college and beyond. The study divides the participants into one of four groups: (1) those that completed the FAFSA and attended college; (2) those that did not complete the FAFSA and attended college; (3) those that completed the FAFSA and did not attend college; and (4) those that did not complete the FAFSA and did not attend college. General systems theory forms the theoretic framework used for the study.