Turning Data into Opportunity: A Case Study of WSAC’s Spring 2025 Financial Aid Campaign

In early 2025, the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) launched an ambitious spring outreach campaign to help Washington’s high school seniors learn about financial aid and complete the FAFSA. During the three-month Spring 2025 Financial Aid Campaign, over 7,000 high school seniors filed a FAFSA, showing the power of data-driven outreach and local partnerships. Positive impacts were widespread: By July, the senior FAFSA completion rate reached 48 percent, up from 45 percent in July 2024. Over 180 high schools out of roughly 700 saw at least a 6 percent increase in FAFSA completion rates. Furthermore, FAFSA completion rates among each racial and ethnic minority group identified in the data rose by 10 percentage points or more in just three months.

Read the Turning Data into Opportunity Case Study

This case study shows how Washington can use key data, like FAFSA completion rates, to spark innovation and drive statewide progress. It highlights the campaign’s strategies, tracks progress against the spring goals, and showcases how WSAC’s statewide 2025-26 Washington Completes Campaign will build on what was learned. By pairing statewide coordination with local flexibility, this year’s campaign will help more high school seniors and their families confidently apply for financial aid before they graduate.

Fast forward to fall 2025, WSAC is implementing a 2025-26 outreach campaign that builds on lessons learned in spring 2025. In September, Governor Bob Ferguson signed Executive Order 25-08. This Executive Order launched WSAC’s 2025-26 campaign and created the Washington Completes FAFSA Campaign Advisory Board. Its inaugural meeting took place on November 7, 2025. Additional information is available on the WSAC website.