The Freshmen Caucus announced the unanimous sponsorship of a bill that will establish an incentive for high school students to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
This bill will create a monthly drawing during the FAFSA open enrollment period of October 1 – June 30 for students who complete the FAFSA for the first time in each month. Along with the monthly drawing for $1000, there will be an annual drawing in which five of the students from the enrollment period will be eligible for one of five $10,000 awards. For many years, Alaska has had the lowest FAFSA completion rate in the nation, leaving roughly $6,000,000 of free financial assistance for post-secondary education on the table. In contrast to Tennessee’s 71.3% completion rate, Alaska’s students complete the FAFSA at a rate of 23.35%.
“The FAFSA is the crucial first step in a post-secondary plan for anyone wishing to continue their education,” said bill sponsor Rep. Rebecca Himschoot.
“Importantly, federal student aid can be used for career and technical certificates, as well as college or university,” commented Rep. Jesse Sumner. “Alaska needs trades people, skilled workers and university graduates in a wide range of fields.”
The Freshmen Caucus is committed to growing Alaska’s future work force and supporting young families. The bipartisan caucus is proud to collaborate on key legislation and looks forward to sharing future bills introduced by the caucus.
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