Dear Friend,

The FAFSA application for the 2025-2026 school year is now available!

Whether you’re a high school senior or a returning college student, completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can save you money and make your educational journey more affordable.

This includes the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, a bipartisan scholarship we established to lower the cost of community, private, public college, or career training by thousands of dollars a year – up to $27,500 over 5 years. Because of a recent expansion, all recent Michigan high school graduates are now eligible to earn a skill certificate or associate degree at their local community college tuition-free!

Right now, a majority of graduating seniors and college students are eligible to receive thousands of dollars per year from the State of Michigan to lower the cost of their college tuition. You are probably eligible for thousands of dollars in financial aid—more than you may realize.

The only way to get your money is to fill out your FAFSA. While the deadline is June 30, 2025, I encourage you to get ahead of the game and fill out your FAFSA as soon as you can. Filling out your FAFSA is free and takes less than an hour. To get started, go to www.fafsa.gov.

Check out more info below on how we’re making higher education more affordable in Michigan. Let’s get it done!

Sincerely,

Gretchen Whitmer

Governor

Michigan Achievement Scholarship

To help lower the cost of college by thousands and get the state closer to achieving its Sixty by 30 goal, we created the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, which is available to eligible high school graduates starting with the class of 2023.

This scholarship builds on my work to lower the cost of college through scholarships like Michigan Reconnect, Futures for Frontliners, and the MI Future Educator Fellowship. These investments get Michigan closer to reaching the state’s Sixty by 30 goal of having 60% of adults possess a skill certificate or college degree by 2030.  

With the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, students may be awarded up to:

• $2,000 per year to earn an industry-recognized certificate for a faster track to a high-paying career.
• $2,750 if they attend an out-of-district Michigan community college, per year, up to three years.
• $4,000 if they attend a Michigan private college or university, per year, up to five years.
• $5,500 if they attend a Michigan public university or are enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program at a Michigan community college, per year, up to five years.

Additional information about the Michigan Achievement Scholarship is available at www.michigan.gov/achievement.

To learn more about State of Michigan scholarships and grant programs, visit MI Student Aid's website at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid.

The Community College Guarantee

This year we expanded the Michigan Achievement Scholarship by delivering on the “Community College Guarantee,” giving every high-school graduate the opportunity to earn an associate’s degree or skills certificate from an in-district community college tuition-free.

All recent Michigan high school graduates are eligible—regardless of family income.

By making the first 2 years of community college tuition-free, we are saving more than 18,000 students over $4,800 a year and giving them a path to a better-paying, high-skill job in a career they love. 

Additional information about the Community College Guarantee can be found at www.michigan.gov/communitycollege.