School Counselor Support on FAFSA Completion: The Intersection of Rurality and First-Generation College Status

• In Event: Centering Cultural Wealth and Student Voice in College Readiness

Abstract

Context/Purpose Rural students, particularly those who are also first-generation college-goers, enroll and persist in postsecondary education at lower rates than their peers. They face layered barriers such as geographic isolation, limited access to advanced coursework, and reduced exposure to financial aid guidance (Drescher et al., 2022). FAFSA completion, a key predictor of college enrollment, remains lower among rural students, limiting their access to financial aid. High school counselors are positioned to address these gaps, yet few studies examine how their support varies across student backgrounds and school contexts. This study uses a nationally representative sample to investigate the relationship between counselor interaction and FAFSA completion, with a focus on rural and first-generation students. The goal is to inform equity-driven strategies that target financial aid access for those most often underserved.
Theoretical Framework This study is guided by the Rural Ecological School Counseling Framework (Fears et al., 2023), rooted in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory (1979) and adapted for school counseling by McMahon et al. (2014). It incorporates the concept of targeted universalism (Powell et al., 2019), which sets a shared goal for all students while tailoring supports to those facing the greatest barriers. Additionally, Kimberly Crenshaw’s intersectionality framework (Crenshaw, 1991), provides a lens to understand how overlapping identities such as rural background and first-generation college status shape students’ experiences with school-based college access supports.
Methods
This study uses a quantitative approach to examine how school counselor support influences FAFSA completion, with specific attention to rural students and first-generation college-goers. Data come from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), a nationally representative dataset that includes detailed measures of student demographics, academic achievement, counselor contact, and financial aid outcomes. The analytical sample includes 12,265 students who responded to the third follow-up survey in 2013. To assess differences in FAFSA completion, the study uses a series of linear probability models that allow for direct interpretation of probability differences. Models include main effects for rurality, first-generation status, and school counselor interaction, as well as interaction terms to explore how these variables operate in combination. Control variables include gender, race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, GPA, math achievement, educational expectations, and school-level indicators of college-going culture.
Findings Results show that school counselor support is significantly associated with FAFSA completion overall, especially when focused on financial aid. However, first-generation students benefit less from counselor interactions than their continuing-generation peers. These findings suggest that universal supports are not equally effective and must be adapted to meet the needs of structurally marginalized students.
Scholarly Significance
This study contributes to the limited body of research on rural students within college access work and goes one step further by analyzing how the intersection of rurality and college-generation status shapes outcomes. By documenting variation in the effectiveness of school counseling support, the study underscores the need for more targeted, equity-focused interventions. It expands the understanding of how school-based structures can either reinforce or reduce gaps in access to financial aid.

Author

• Cathy Longstreet, San Diego State University