FAFSA applications lag in WA, and it worries the governor

Washington has one of the country’s most generous college financial aid programs, yet lags behind almost every other state in getting students to apply for it. The governor is determined to understand why.

This fall, just before the Free Application for Federal Student Aid opened, Gov. Bob Ferguson issued an executive order aimed at boosting the number of high school seniors in Washington who fill out the form.

Under the order, the Washington Student Achievement Council will begin setting a statewide goal for FAFSA completion starting with the 2026-27 school year, and will continue tracking a variety of data, with an emphasis on which schools are falling behind on completion.

The order also requires WSAC to create a diverse advisory board made up of students, educators and administrators who will provide recommendations for how to address the issue, including ways to encourage college-going culture. It is Ferguson’s only executive order on education since he took office in January.

In addition to the order, Ferguson says he is evangelizing about the importance of the form at every high school he visits. He signed the order at Renton High School last month, and plans to visit other high schools around the state, focusing on the importance of the FAFSA.

He’s hoping his presence at these schools will encourage more media coverage of the issue, and thus more discussion of the form among families.

“I’m confident you’ll hear me talk about the FAFSA forms at my state address in January,” said Ferguson.

Asked about any potential solutions he’d back, such as a law that requires students to complete the form, Ferguson said he was waiting to see what the advisory group recommends. The first official report is due in a year.

“I haven’t reached a decision yet, but it’s obviously something we need to explore.”

Washington has consistently ranked very low on FAFSA completion compared with other states. Around 53% of the state’s class of 2025 completed a FAFSA, compared with roughly 60% nationally, according to the National College Attainment Network. That gap may sound small, but it represents thousands of students missing out on affordable higher education and apprenticeship programs.

That’s not good news for Washington’s economy, hence Ferguson’s urgency. The state is projected to face a shortfall of nearly 600,000 skilled workers by 2032, with roughly three-quarters of those jobs requiring some form of postsecondary education, according to the executive order. Only around 40% of the state’s high school graduates are expected to earn a credential in that time frame, according to the Washington Roundtable.

Yet affordability remains one of the most-cited barriers for students and families.

That’s where the Washington College Grant comes in. The grant can cover full tuition and fees at public colleges or universities for families earning up to about 60% of the state’s median income, roughly $66,000 for a family of three. For students who don’t qualify for federal aid, including students or parents who don’t have a Social Security number, the state also offers the WASFA, a companion application for state-funded aid.

Increasing FAFSA completion rates and getting more people to college was already a goal for the state. But the executive order helps boost the visibility of that work.

The campaign’s real impact could come from getting more people to focus on the issue, said Michael Meotti, executive director of WSAC. The decision to attend college is both financial and cultural.

“We’re talking about human behavior, and how you get an eighth, ninth, 10th grader to start developing a vision,” said Meotti. “You can’t just tell people to go to college.”