OLYMPIA, WA – Gov. Bob Ferguson has launched a campaign to increase the number of students who complete free applications for federal student aid to attend college and other education programs after high school.

Nearly half of Washington households qualify for the financial aid, but Washington consistently ranks in the bottom five states for completion of applications, according to Ferguson’s office.

Washington ranked 47th among states for Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, completion in 2025, with 45.3% of graduating seniors completing the application.

“I want every eligible student to take advantage of this money for college, apprenticeships and other education or training,” Ferguson, who is a Democrat, said in a statement following the campaign’s launch at Renton High School on Friday.

The Washington Completes FAFSA Campaign, created via executive order, establishes an advisory board to set a statewide FAFSA completion goal for each academic year, starting with the 2026-27 school year.

The advisory board will include students, high school staff, a representative from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, higher education personnel, and nonprofit groups.

The board will be staffed by the Washington Student Achievement Council.

The council and advisory board will develop and execute a plan to help schools meet the year’s FAFSA completion goal, and help support schools in setting up their own goals to increase local FAFSA completion.

The campaign will include free training and resources for schools and community partners. The Washington Student Achievement Council is also instructed to leverage its artificial intelligence-assisted chatbot, Otterbot, to provide support for students and families completing the FAFSA application.

FAFSA completion data will be compiled to track progress or identify gaps for low-income students accessing financial aid. The advisory board will also submit an annual report detailing its progress and goals to the governor every year.

“Completing a financial aid application is a critical step in unlocking opportunities for more than half of Washington’s students who might not otherwise be able to attend college,” said Isaac Kwakye, deputy executive director of Washington Student Achievement Council.

The council’s research, Kwakye said, shows that students from the lowest-income families who receive financial aid typically surpass their parents’ income within three years of graduation from college.

By completing the FAFSA, students and families can take advantage of federal grants, scholarships and loans, as well as Washington state financial aid opportunities.

Only nine of the 228 school districts in Washington that submitted FAFSA completion data for the 2024-25 cycle recorded an application completion rate of 80% or higher.

“Washington is one of the most, if not the most, generous in terms of financial assistance,” Ferguson said. “To access that money, all you have to do is fill out the form. You will never know how much financial aid you qualify for unless you do.”

While the Washington Completes FAFSA Campaign only sets goals related to FAFSA completion, students who are not eligible for federal aid but may be eligible for state aid have the option of completing the Washington Application for State Financial Aid instead.

The WASFA is an application for the Washington College Grant, which covers full tuition and fees at any of the state’s public universities for students who are below 60% of the median family income. Some money is also available through the grant for those with higher incomes, and there is also some money available for private colleges and universities.

Anyone in Washington can choose to use the WASFA instead of the FAFSA, although they won’t get federal aid if they choose that route.

The FAFSA for aid that will go into effect for the 2026-27 school year will open by Oct. 1. The WASFA will open sometime in October.

Superintendent Chris Reykdal, in a written statement, called the new FAFSA campaign “an important effort to boost awareness for students that may be eligible for federal, state, or institutional aid.” But he also said the state would need to “move past the existing high tuition, high aid model if we are going to expand the state’s economic prowess.”

He said that a state commitment to tuition-free degrees, as well as zero-tuition opportunities like dual credit high school programs, will be necessary to increase college enrollment rates.

This story first appeared on Washington State Standard.