FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:   

April 16, 2025 

Contact: [email protected] 

Gov. Whitmer Launches $1 Million “Ticket to Tuition” FAFSA Sweepstakes 

FAFSA filers can enter for a chance to win one of forty $10,000 prizes or one of ten $50,000 prizes 

LANSING, Mich. – Today, Governor Whitmer and the Michigan College Access Network (MCAN) announced the Ticket to Tuition sweepstakes at Lansing’s Eastern High School. Ticket to Tuition is a statewide initiative to encourage Michiganders enrolling in college for the first time, especially high school seniors, to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to lower the cost of college through valuable financial aid opportunities such as the Michigan Achievement Scholarship and Community College Guarantee.  

“Filling out your FAFSA can help you save thousands of dollars on your education and with today’s sweepstakes, you can also enter to win up to $50,000 for your education expenses,” said Governor Whitmer. “Since I took office, we have made record, bipartisan investments to drive down the cost of earning a degree or skills certificate, and I’m proud that a majority of graduating seniors are now eligible to lower or completely eliminate their college tuition. As we continue working together to save Michiganders money, I encourage all high school seniors who want to go to community, private, or public college to fill out their FAFSA, save thousands of dollars while attending school, and enter to win our sweepstakes!” 

“Filling out your FAFSA can help you punch your ticket to a college degree, a skills training certificate, more opportunity, and a better life,” said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. “The ‘Ticket to Tuition’ sweepstakes will help more Michiganders get the skills they need to support their families at good-paying jobs. Let’s keep Standing Tall so every student can ‘make it’ in Michigan.” 

Contest Details: To enter the Ticket to Tuition sweepstakes, complete the FAFSA and text CASH to 855-50K-TICKET by 11:59 p.m. Friday, May 16, 2025. To be eligible, participants must be Michigan residents who completed the FAFSA for the first-time to use during the 2025-26 academic year.  

Prizes will be awarded in Michigan Education Savings Program accounts, which can be used for a variety of qualified educational expenses such as tuition and fees, living expenses, and computers and textbooks. Forty winners will receive $10,000 and ten winners will receive $50,000. For full contest details, visit TicketToTuition.com.  

MiLEAP is proud to partner with MCAN to help provide resources, programming and support for students to pursue their educational and career goals. 

“The new streamlined FAFSA can open scholarship and grant opportunities like the Michigan Achievement Scholarship and Community College Guarantee, providing students an affordable path to a postsecondary credential,” said Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea, director of MiLEAP. “With Ticket to Tuition, we are encouraging students to complete their FAFSA by offering tens of thousands of dollars in prizes, but the real prize is the degree or skill certificate that will help them achieve their goals for themselves and their families.” 

“College and skills training are keys to economic prosperity, which is why state financial aid opportunities such as the Michigan Achievement Scholarship and the Community College Guarantee are vital to Michigan families,” said Sen. Sean McCann. “It is critical that we do all we can to encourage students to complete the FAFSA and understand the financial aid they have earned through their academic careers so they can make informed decisions about their future.” 

“Michigan College Access Network is committed to increasing the number of students who access and complete college, and the Ticket to Tuition Sweepstakes is another way we are working to incentivize more students to explore postsecondary options,” said Ryan Fewins-Bliss, executive director of the Michigan College Access Network. “We want graduating seniors and their families to know that the FAFSA is the key to unlocking federal, state, and institutional financial aid, and now, completing it can give them the chance to win up to $50,000 to help with their future educational expenses.” 

"Now more than ever, it's crucial to make college and postsecondary opportunities accessible for young people,” said Ben Shuldiner, superintendent of Lansing Schools. “Programs like the Michigan Achievement Scholarship and Community College Guarantee have made career training more affordable—but completing the FAFSA remains the most important step. That’s what makes the Ticket to Tuition sweepstakes so exciting." 

Since Governor Whitmer took office, she has worked with a bipartisan Legislature to lower the cost of college for over 120,000 students annually through meaningful investments in state student financial aid including: 

• Michigan Achievement Scholarship to support recent high school graduates on their postsecondary education including a tuition-free associate degree or skills certificate through the Community College Guarantee, up to $27,500 to earn a four-year degree, and up to $4,000 to enroll in career training. Today, nearly 60,000 students are saving Michiganders families more than $4,200 per year. 

• Michigan Reconnect to offer Michiganders 25 and up tuition-free associate degree or skills certificate in high demand careers. Over 207,000+ accepted. Temporarily lowered the age for participants to 21 and recruited 35,000 Reconnect applicants. Temporarily launched the Michigan Reconnect Short-term Training Program to lower the cost of career training for over 4,300 Michiganders. 

• Mi Future Educator Fellowship which is offering 2,600 future teachers $10,000 scholarships in exchange for a commitment to teach in Michigan   

• Futures for Frontliners program to temporarily recognize Michiganders who served on the frontlines of the pandemic and offer them tuition-free paths to postsecondary education or skills training. Over 85,000 student have been accepted. 

Students and families can complete the FAFSA online by visiting FAFSA.gov or by submitting a paper form. Recent updates to the application include reducing the number of questions to 36 from the previous 108, allowing for a more streamlined process. Most students and families can complete the application in less than 15 minutes. 

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