WATCH: Governor pushes financial aid requirement to graduate; critics push back

During a Monday press conference at Highline College in Des Moines, Ferguson said he intends to ask lawmakers to approve the requirement during the next legislative session, which begins in January 2027.

The proposal is to require students to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid before they graduate, although students could opt out of the application.

“Washington state has historically done poorly at completing that form. Last year, we ranked 47th out of 50 states in having young people complete this form that can unlock so many dollars for them to pursue an education or job training,” said Ferguson.

He noted after his executive order last year created a work group to come up with ways to encourage students to apply for federal aid, Washington’s ranking moved up to 40th.

“That's great. That's thousands of more students who are unlocking that possibility, but let's be honest, 40th is not going to get the job done,” Ferguson said.

Around half of Washington families qualify for higher education financial aid, according to the state’s Student Achievement Council. But many don’t ever apply.

Students can apply for higher education funding either by completing the FAFSA or the Washington Application for State Financial Aid.

A few Washington school districts already require students to complete the application before graduating.

“The Federal Way School District requires FAFSA. Their completion rate is 67%. That far exceeds Washington state's completion rate. College Place School District…they require it, at a 74% completion rate," Ferguson said.

Critics of the plan question the data.

Education Center Director at Washington Policy Center Vicki Murray told The Center Square she has yet to see evidence that requiring the application has led to better outcomes.

"I want to see the fruits of these efforts. I’m not aware that forcing people makes for better outcomes," Murray said. "I think giving people all the information they need to make an informed decision is the way to go. I don’t know why conscripting people into filling out forms as a condition of a degree that they’ve earned is really the best path."

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction told The Center Square, they support making the FAFSA a graduation requirement, but noted OSPI has its own approach and request of lawmakers.

“Last week, State Superintendent Chris Reykdal announced his proposal for a Postsecondary Launch Course — a required course for all graduating seniors to prepare students for their next step and beyond," wrote OSPI’s Katy Payne.

"As part of that course, students would be required to complete or opt out of the FAFSA and/or WASFA. The course would also include instruction on civics and financial literacy; completion of a resume; and applications to college, the military, or a job. The Superintendent will request that the 2027 Legislature consider this proposal,” she wrote.

Murray said she supports making sure students are aware that federal or state resources exist, but suggests the focus should be on academic outcomes above all else. 

“I think where our focus really needs to be is on our students and soon to be graduates being prepared for college level work, and all available evidence suggests that our high school students are not,” she said.

“Look at 10th graders in ELA (English Language Arts) and just 60% of 10th graders are on track for college level. It drops down to 31% for math. And then if you look at 11th grade science, we’re only talking about 37%,” said Murray.

Even more recent data in the 2026 Kids Count Data Book, published annually by the Annie E. Casey Foundation put Washington 31st in the nation for education, a four-spot decline from its 27th-place ranking in last year's report.

The data analyzed is from 2024 and found the majority of Washington eighth graders do not meet the mark in math, with 70% not proficient.

On the reading metric of 4th graders, it showed 68% are not proficient across the state.

OSPI told The Center Square they have questions about the methodology of the report.

“National reports like this one can sometimes overlook key differences in states’ data collections and definitions...our graduation rates remain near record-high, kindergarten readiness is at a record high, attendance rates continue to climb,” wrote Payne via email.

Some social media posts and comments after Ferguson’s press conference about the FAFSA requirement suggested the goal could be to obtain financial information for a future potential expansion of the income tax.

Murray told The Center Square she does not believe that’s the goal.

“My understanding at this point is it [financial information] can’t be shared with anybody outside of student applicants chosen colleges and the Washington Achievement Council," she said.

"But perhaps we should pay attention when the governor submits his proposed legislation, let’s look for that to see if there are changes with student privacy and how personally identifiable information can be shared."