CWU partners with state agency and K-12 schools to provide guaranteed financial aid

Central Washington University has been chosen by the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) to help develop a framework for providing low-income students with guaranteed financial aid to help them pursue a college degree.

CWU will leverage long-standing partnerships with K-12 schools across Central Washington to envision and eventually implement procedures allowing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)-eligible students to receive financial aid through the Washington College Grant without any additional paperwork or application.

CWU Chief of Staff and Interim Vice President of University Relations Andrew Morse explained that the Guaranteed Financial Aid initiative grew out of a September 2023 gathering co-hosted by the university and WSAC.

“We were looking for a game-changing set of ideas to make the transition much easier for those transitioning from high school to college,” he said. “The ideal with a long-term outlook is to make it as easy as the transition to high school, which would fundamentally change the conversation around higher education.”

CWU is among WSAC’s statewide network of partners involved in the project, which is funded by a $150,000 grant from the Lumina Foundation as part of its national Great Admissions Redesign initiative. The ability to guarantee financial aid through SNAP eligibility came out of a bill proposed by Governor Jay Inslee and passed into law during the 2024 legislative session.

WSAC Executive Director Michael Meotti said having partners like CWU involved will be vital to the project’s success.

“We need to learn how to successfully engage students and their families with the message of affordable college,” he said. “The best way to learn how to do that is with highly motivated partners at universities and high schools. CWU is highly motivated and committed to this goal, and the university brings strong K-12 relationships into this effort.”

Since Washington state has the highest amount of need-based financial aid available per capita of any state in the U.S. — yet also ranks very low in the FAFSA (federal) and WASFA (state) applications necessary to direct those funds to the right people — the Guaranteed Financial Aid project aims to streamline the process by which students receive financial aid. One of the primary goals is to remove the hindrances imposed by redundant paperwork and confusing application processes.

“That’s been sort of a roadblock for us for a while,” Morse said, adding that the state leaves more than $60 million in federal financial aid on the table every year. “There’s all this money available, but it’s not going into the right pockets because there are currently too many steps between needing it and actually receiving it. This is one of many approaches to mitigating that.”

The Guaranteed Financial Aid initiative is currently in the planning phase, targeting February 2025 for delivery of an implementation plan and recommendations on how to proceed. To this end, CWU is partnering with seven school districts in the Yakima Valley to identify messaging and education needs in navigating this new approach to financial aid.

Yakima School District Superintendent Trevor Greene —himself a CWU alumnus—is excited about the project, and the way it ties into his overarching vision for fostering a strong college-going culture among his students.

“I am committed to pioneering initiatives that remove barriers to higher education," he said. "Guaranteed financial aid based on SNAP eligibility has the potential to revolutionize the conversation about students from Yakima attending college. By removing financial barriers, we can ensure that every student, regardless of their economic background, has the chance to pursue higher education. This opens up new avenues to a brighter future, fostering a community where education is accessible and attainable for all.”

Working in tandem with CWU’s successful Guaranteed Admissions Program, a full implementation of this project would ensure every low-income student at a partnered high school would have a chance at earning a college degree, setting both themselves and future generations up for lasting success and stability.

“Central is serving as a model of innovation in this and many other ways,” Morse said. “The work we’re doing will positively impact the lives of first-generation students and poverty-affected communities throughout the state.”