FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education said fewer Kentuckians are applying for federal student aid this year. 

President Aaron Thompson said the Commonwealth had a fairly high FAFSA fill-out rate last year. When comparing this year to last, that rate was down about 4 percent earlier this summer. The Council then ramped up efforts to encourage people to fill it out. That helped a little bit as the state fill out rate is now down around 2 percent from last year.

While that may not sound too bad, Thompson said it is still cause for concern.

"The item I worry the most about though is the students who probably need it the most may not be filling it out," Thompson said.

If students don't fill out the FAFSA to get financial aid, Thompson worries they may not be able to afford going to college. That, in turn, could lead to enrollment shortages, something many colleges and universities across the country have been facing since the pandemic.

"In Kentucky, we are doing a little better than other states. Although we are predicting to have a down enrollment, we are predicting a better enrolment than many states are," Thompson said.

He said Kentucky already had a low rate of recent high school graduates going to college before the pandemic. This could make that worse.