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 Dear Education Partner,
Big changes are coming to financial aid applications this year. The Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) would like to team up with you to help students and families navigate these changes.
Firstly, the 2024-25 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) will not be available until December 2023. The WASFA (Washington Application for State Financial Aid) will also be delayed until the FAFSA opens. Applications usually open October 1 of a student’s senior year, so this is a major shift in the college planning process.
The good news is that this delay is due to positive changes in the financial aid application process:
- The FAFSA form will be shorter and less complex.
- More students will be eligible for federal Pell Grants, and the average Pell award will be larger.
We are asking for your help over the next several months in communicating to your community. School counselors and other advocates should adjust financial aid outreach messaging and timelines to address the changes. WSAC will offer training for your staff. We have helpful resources and outreach materials for you to share.
The U.S. Department of Education has not yet announced the exact date applications will open. We will make sure to let you know as soon as that information is available. Until then, we recommend delaying any financial aid filing events held by your school or organization—although there will be other ways to prepare students during the fall. We’ll be in touch with suggestions on that front.
Please stay tuned! We will update you as we learn more, and frankly, we will likely overcommunicate. Thank you for your partnership and for your expertise in helping families through this transition. And thank you most of all for the important work you do every day supporting students and families.
All Our Best,
The WSAC Team
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