WA State to Offer Free College Tuition for Low-Income Students

For years, the Federal government has provided what's called the FAFSA, or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Now, WA State seeks to 'end-around' that.

Beginning in 2025, low-income students can qualify for free tuition

The FAFSA, honestly, has been a cumbersome and difficult process to navigate, a lot of information, confusing questions, and more. The FAFSA bases a student's eligibility for financial aid upon their financial situation--and that of their family.

However, the last few years, WA officials have seen FAFSA application rates drop dramatically, even more so last year when a newer version of the program was rolled out.

According to Axios-Seattle:

"Washington has long struggled with low FAFSA completion rates among high school seniors — a rate that dipped even further this year, as a new FAFSA form rolled out amid technical difficulties and delays."

Delays and issues with the FAFSA are known to many, but now WA state has a new law that was passed earlier this spring, that will let students know as early as 10th grade what financial aid they qualify for.

The state program is the WA College Grant, simply known as the WA Grant. It is also based on family economic and financial data, but has been tweaked. It's also been around for some time.

Now, under the new plan, if a student and their family receive food benefits, such as the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits or food stamps, they will automatically qualify for these state programs, and in many cases, be able to find out as early as 10th grade what they qualify for.