(The Center Square) – Washington families who receive food stamps can take advantage of a new state law that will automatically qualify high school students for taxpayer-funded college aid.
The new law passed by the Washington Legislature this spring will make it so students in 10th through 12th grade automatically qualify for state financial aid programs if their families receive food assistance benefits, including the State Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
“We believe many students fall off the pathway to college or career education over the years because they and their families assume there is no way they can afford it,” said Michael Meotti the executive director of the Washington Student Achievement Council in a Friday interview with The Center Square.
“We think trying to reach those students by senior year is too late, so this is an earlier intervention to tell them you won’t have a tuition bill,” said Meotti.
The new system will make it so students whose families are on food stamps can bypass the federal application for college assistance, known as the Federal Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
“The FAFSA can’t tell you until Spring of senior year what you’re going to get, and we think that’s too late to know,” said Meotti. “We want you to know in 10th grade and to assure you then you won’t have to pay tuition so you can continue to think about what you want to do after high school.”
Meotti said students will still have to go through regular admission requirements and qualify with their grade point average and other expectations of the institution, but the financial part will be taken care of for the first year guaranteed.
“You get a second year by 11th grade if you’re still eligible (based on income eligibility) and a third year by 12th grade if you’re still eligible,” said Meotti.
For families who may qualify based on income, but have not yet signed up for food assistance, Meotti recommends doing so right away.
“Sign up for the program. We encourage everyone in the country to take advantage of whatever programs are available to them,” he said.
Washington Policy Center’s outgoing Director of the Center for Education, Liv Finne, responded to a request for comment about the program via email:
“The number of low-income students applying to college plummeted after the COVID school shutdowns. This has very little to do with the FAFSA form, and everything to do with the academic learning loss low-income students suffered during that time,” wrote Finne.
“The solution is to give every low-income student $3000 of the $19,000 taxpayers already provide annually for their education. This way these deserving students can pay for the private tutoring they need to recover their academic skills, and to gain the confidence they need to apply for and succeed in college,” said Finne.
Meotti did not have any estimate for how much the additional promise of paid college will cost state taxpayers.
“We think it will have significant reach, but not change things dramatically overnight, as it’s a complicated thing for families; we hope to increase people going down education pathways,” said Meotti. “The best investment a taxpayer can make is to invest in the future of having everyone be more educated.”
The new eligibility rules will kick in on Jan. 1, 2026, meaning students who are now juniors and below can take advantage of the opportunity.
