Clark County students are having an easier time filling out this year’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid form. Last year’s form caused chaos and delays with a new format, which ironically was created for less confusion and more accessibility. Students in the Evergreen and Vancouver school districts say they are experiencing a smoother application process so far. “We’ve been prepping them throughout the beginning of the school year through their High School and Beyond Plan sessions to make sure they’re aware that FAFSA was intending to open up Dec. 1,” said Ryan Blodgett, career guidance specialist and counselor, at Evergreen’s Union High School. “We were pleasantly surprised when it opened up before Thanksgiving.”

In past years, the FAFSA opened Oct. 1. But last year, the new version didn’t open until Dec. 30, and this year it opened earlier than expected on Nov. 21. Blodgett said between 5 and 10 percent of high school students in Evergreen Public Schools already completed the application. It took Blodgett 12 minutes to fill out the parent application for his son who attends an out-of-state college. Other than spreading the word through newsletters and online communication to parents and students, the district spends time in the seniors’ civics classes to inform them about the application and all the ways it could help. Last year, only about 47.1 percent of the district’s seniors filled out the form, Blodgett said.

In 2020, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., negotiated the FAFSA Simplification Act to simplify the application for students and parents and expand federal aid eligibility. The impacts are showing. This year, 12.4 percent more Washington students are eligible for Pell Grants compared with last year, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s webpage. Federal Pell Grants are awarded and don’t need to be paid back except under certain circumstances, according to the department. “The main benefits would be the grant money, the federal subsidized loans and being eligible for work study,” Blodgett said. “For a lot of our middle- and upper-income students, to be eligible to receive institutional scholarships, they need to have a FAFSA application on file with the college they’re attending to receive those institutional scholarships.”

Murray said in a phone interview that students often don’t think they’ll qualify for student aid depending on how much money their family makes, but the formula has changed to offer financial aid to more students. “It’s about 18 to 20 questions. It takes 10 to 15 minutes to fill out,” Murray said, “and a lot more people will have that barrier eliminated so they can get student aid, student assistance and can go on to further their education.” Before, the form had more than 100 questions. She said it was tedious to fill out, causing people to give up, “and therefore closed the door on themselves to be able to further their education.” Jennifer Pongracz, career specialist at Fort Vancouver High School, said Vancouver urges students to fill out the application to receive federal aid not only for college but for post-secondary schools, including cosmetology, trade and other vocational studies.

Fort Vancouver High School already hosted a few sessions for families and students to drop in and get help filling out financial aid forms. Pongracz said the events were successful. Thirty students have already filled out the FAFSA. To get more students interested in filling out the application, she will occasionally draw names for those who have already completed it and award them gift cards. “(The FAFSA form) is nowhere near what it was last year. It’s been a lot more successful,” Pongracz said. “One of the big things that I found was a lot better is that when they create their FSA (Federal Student Aid) ID, a good number of them are actually able to go right into the FAFSA rather than waiting for that one- to three-day hold.” She said her students have taken about 30 to 45 minutes to complete the form once their FSA ID is confirmed.

“I wouldn’t be sitting where I am today if I didn’t have student aid,” Murray said. “I applied for student aid and that helped me and all my brothers and sisters go to college. I want that opportunity for every young person who wants it in our state and in our country.”