PORT ANGELES — U.S. Sen. Patty Murray knows one of the biggest barriers high school seniors and college students in Washington and across the country face when seeking assistance to fund their educations is completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
It was so long, complicated and confusing that students frequently quit before they completed it.
Washington has had among the lowest FAFSA completion rates in the country for a number of years. In 2023, it ranked 47th in the percentage of seniors who had finished it.
Through Nov. 29, only 44.9 percent of Washington high school seniors completed the FAFSA compared to 54.1 percent nationally, according the National College Attainment Network.
Murray said Washington state left an estimated $65 million in Pell Grants on the table because students didn’t complete the FAFSA — money that could have helped them go to college.
“That is absolutely part of my concern,” said Murray, speaking by phone Wednesday from her office in Washington, D.C. “I want to make sure that anybody who wants to further their education doesn’t face a barrier if they qualify for federal aid.”
In 2020, as the top Democrat on the Senate Education Committee, Murray negotiated the FAFSA Simplification Act that was signed into law.
She has overseen the launch of the new FAFSA application as well as revised a financial aid formula that expands the number of students who can qualify for assistance.
The changes mean 12.5 percent more Washington students will be eligible for Pell Grants for the upcoming 2025-2026 academic year than last year. They also can receive more assistance if they qualify.
As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Murray authored the 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Bill that increased the maximum Pell Grant award by $100 to $7,495.
The bill also includes $100 million to support a range of student aid programs, including implementation of the new FAFSA, fixing student loan forgiveness issues and putting into place more affordable repayment plans.
Streamlining and simplifying the way students apply for financial aid by making the FAFSA application easier to fill out might seem like a fairly straightforward process, but it literally took an act an act of Congress to make it happen.
“It just stunned me that we had to change the law in order to simplify FAFSA,” Murray said. “So, we did all the work of getting it passed, which is not easy in Congress, as we all know. It got off on a rocky start last year, but the message is, today we’re there.”
The revamped FAFSA originally was released in January, but the rollout was bedeviled by delays and technical issues that sometimes prevented students from completing their applications. According to the Government Accounting Office, the problems led to 9 percent fewer first-time applicants submitting their FAFSA forms.
“I have been all over the administration saying we have got to fix this,” Murray said. “To their credit, they worked really hard, and it is working much better.
“My goal now is to make sure anybody who wants to go to college next year should be filling out the form and not let it be a barrier. Let’s make sure that people who qualify for federal student aid get the money that they need.”
The application has shrunk from 100 questions to fewer than 20, and it pulls students’ and parents’ financial information directly from the IRS rather than relying on paper copies.
The status of student loan debt forgiveness and repayment programs is in limbo. Murray said a lot of work has been done to assist individuals with high student debt, but the future does not look positive with Republican and former President Donald Trump returning to office in January.
“It’s been a real challenge and, as we know, and it’s become really political,” Murray said. “I think my biggest concern going into the next year is that we have a new president who’s coming in who said he wants to get rid of the Department of Education.”
Kennedy Cameron, education attainment specialist for the United Way of Clallam County, said she and the students and parents she assists appreciate the new FAFSA application.
Cameron said it took about 45 fewer minutes to complete than the old version, which could take up to an hour to finish.
“There were a lot of questions that weren’t really necessary, it was overly complex and didn’t use plain language,” Cameron said.
Another significant change, Cameron said, was that dependent students and their parents each need their own account with StudentAid.gov, the website for federal student aid. Students start their FAFSA form, complete the required sections and then invite their parents to complete it.
“Students and parents fill out the financial section separately,” Cameron said. “This gets rid of awkward conversations with your parents about their savings and income.”
Students whose parents have not filed with the IRS, are undocumented or aren’t eligible for federal aid because of their immigration status can complete a Washington Application for State Financial Aid, which qualifies them for state aid, Cameron said.
For information about the FAFSA or WAFSA, call the Washington Student Achievement Council at 888-535-0747 or go to tinyurl.com/5aw7t9sy.
Go to studentaid.gov to register for an account that will allow students to fill out the FAFSA application.
To reach Cameron, email collegeaccess@unitedwayclallam.org or call the United Way of Clallam County at 360-457-3011.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
