12th Year Campaign

The 12th Year Campaign boosts college and financial aid application rates in Washington by helping those working with high school seniors and their families complete applications for college admissions and financial aid. This page contains and information and resources designed to help schools and partners host a successful financial aid advising day. Explore the different sections below to learn more.

Supporting Washington's Financial Aid Advising Day

Financial aid matters. Nationally, seniors who complete a financial aid application are 84 percent more likely to enroll in postsecondary education. The rate is even higher for students from lower‐income families. From an apprenticeship program to a two-or-four-year college degree, education beyond high school prepares students for jobs that move them beyond minimum wage. Even a one-year credential program at a community or technical college can increase future earnings.

Districts across Washington have an exciting opportunity to provide students with new support by sharing critical information for planning life after high school. Financial aid advising day, created with the passage of ESSB 6141 in the 2020 Legislative session, is an opportunity to focus on educational equity related to students pursuing postsecondary education.

What is a financial aid advising day?

Learn about the details and requirements of financial aid advising day, as well as the resources the 12th Year Campaign has to support schools.

What is a financial aid advising day?

What is a financial aid advising day?

A financial aid advising day is an opportunity to provide every senior and their family with key resources and knowledge for completing the financial aid application process. Per ESSB 6141, districts with a high school must provide both a financial aid advising day and notification of financial aid opportunities at the beginning of each school year to parents and guardians of any student entering the twelfth grade.

The 12th Year Campaign is here to help

The 12th Year Campaign is here to help!

The 12th Year Campaign provides sites with free financial aid training, free print and digital materials for students and families, and helps host virtual statewide financial aid completion events.

Register for the model of participation that best fits your needs.
Order your free materials, explore the resources below, and access training opportunities.
Get to know your data.
Plan your financial aid advising day, pre-work, and follow-up.

What should the notification include?

What should the notification to students include?

The notification must include information regarding:

The eligibility requirements of the Washington College Grant.
Information on resources, including the CSS profile and new financial aid calculator.
Any community-based resources available to assist parents and guardians in understanding the requirements of and how to complete the free application for federal student aid (FAFSA) and the Washington application for state financial aid (WASFA).
The full requirements of the financial aid advising day, which can be found in ESSB 6141. For more information, see the OSPI bulletin.

Opting out

Opting out

All students are encouraged to participate in financial aid advising day because of the connection between applying for aid and students ultimately pursuing college and career education. However, a district process for opting out of the financial aid advising day should be created. We've provided templates (English I Spanish) to use when creating your opt out process.

Students who wish to opt out of the financial aid advising day should complete a form similar to this template and records should be retained at your campus. Forms do not need to be turned in to WSAC or OSPI.

Support modules

Every module features a resource, video, and Kahoot quiz for your use. Use these modules to help prepare students for your financial aid advising day.

What is financial aid?

What is financial aid?

Resource: What is financial aid infographic

Activity: What is financial aid quiz

Video: What is financial aid?

Where does financial aid come from?

Where does financial aid come from?

Resource: 12th Year Campaign workbook and Types of federal financial aid infographic

Video: Where does financial aid come from?

Activity: Financial aid quiz

Financial aid myths

Financial aid myths

Resource: Five Financial Aid Myths infographic (also in Spanish)

Video: Financial Aid Myths

Activity: Financial Aid Myths quiz

Which application should I use?

Which application should I use?

Resource: Federal aid eligibility infographic

Video: Which Application Should I Use?

Activity: Should you use the FAFSA or WASFA?

How to create an FSA ID

How to create an FSA ID

Resource: FSA ID worksheet

Video: How to create an FSA ID

Activity: FSA ID quiz

Financial aid dependency status

Whose information will I need for my financial aid application?

Resources: Financial aid dependency information and Who is my parent when I apply for financial aid?

Video: Whose information will I need?

Activity: Dependency quiz

How to sign your application

How to sign your application

Resource: 12th Year workbook

Video: How to sign your application

Activity: Application signing quiz

Navigating verification

Navigating verification

Video: Navigating verification

Activity: Navigating verification quiz

Cost of attendance

Cost of attendance

Resource: College Knowledge website

Video: Cost of attendance

Activity: Cost of attendance quiz

Understanding award letters

Understanding award letters

Resource: Award letter key components worksheet, living off-campus, and living on-campus

Video: Understanding your award

Activity: Use the award letter worksheets under Resources to assess your award letter.

Requesting financial aid appeals

Requesting financial aid appeals

Resource: WSAC financial aid appeals website

Video: Requesting a financial aid appeal

Activity: Requesting a financial aid appeal quiz

12th Year Campaign and partner materials

Otterbot

Otterbot is a free texting service designed to help Washington students navigate financial aid for college and career education. Students can access Otterbot via text message 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Text "Hi Otter" to 360-928-7281. Learn more.

Financial aid event materials

Use these materials to support financial aid events and discussions - either in-person or virtually.

Padlet: Financial Aid Resources for Students
This student based padlet provides a list of resources that will navigate students through the financial aid and admissions processes.
12th Year Campaign Virtual Financial Aid Event Toolkit This toolkit will assist you with developing and hosting your own virtual financial aid event.
Promotional Poster (English) (Spanish) Download or order posters to help advertise financial aid completion efforts.
Postcards: You Can’t Get Financial Aid if You Don’t Apply. Use these postcards to remind students what documents are needed and where to find help when applying for financial aid. You can order or download these postcards in five languages.
- English
- Russian
- Somali
- Spanish
- Vietnamese
FSA ID Worksheet Use this worksheet to help students collect and remember all the information needed to create a Federal Student Aid ID, which is used to sign a FAFSA.
Student Survey Please use this survey after any financial aid events or workshops you hold!
Financial Aid Night Financial Aid 101 Presentation Slides. This presentation, with accompanying notes and video recording listed below, can be used to “plug and play” a financial aid overview presentation to students and families
Financial Aid Night Financial Aid 101 Presentation Video (pending)

More materials

Key to Success: College Access Resources This is our digital version of our key to success. These resources will help you as you assist students with completing financial aid and admissions applications.
12th Year Campaign Student Workbook This comprehensive workbook will assist your juniors and seniors with identifying their postsecondary plan goals with useful activities as well as provides critical information around admission and financial aid programs
Financial Aid/Washington College Grant Toolkit Find graphics, flyers, and other resources to help promote the newly expanded Washington College Grant.
Award Letter Worksheet - Living on campus Use this worksheet to help your students who plan to live on campus understand their financial aid awards.
Award Letter Worksheet - Living off campus Use this worksheet to help your students who plan to live off campus understand their financial aid awards.
Award Letter Key Components Use this document to help students understand the critical items in a financial aid award package.
Puget Sound College and Career Network Financial Aid Toolkit The PSCCN Financial Aid Toolkit features promotional materials, school and district strategies, and additional student/family materials.
Puget Sound College and Career Network Regional College Transition Checklists
WSECU Reality Fair Hosted by 12th Year Campaign partner, WSECU, the digital reality fair provides students and teachers with an opportunity to engage in a virtual learning exercise about financial responsibilities, savings goals, and productive spending habits.
WSAC Student Loan Modules and Resources Access lessons, resources and materials related to student loans.
Financial Aid Completion Playbook Explore ten case studies and best practices around financial aid application completion.

Federal student aid infographics

Federal student aid infographics

Visit the Federal Student Aid Resources site for downloadable resources in English and Spanish on a variety of topics from “Who’s my parent?” to “Understanding dependency”.

College and Career Pathways handouts

College and Career Pathways An outline of potential postsecondary pathways.

College Means What do we mean when we say college? Help students understand the diversity of the term.

How to Become an Apprentice Help students interested in apprenticeships understand how to pursue this pathway.

Technical and Special Colleges An overview of technical and specialty colleges.

Military Pathways An overview of the different pathways related to joining the military.

LGBTQ+ and College Access Supporting LGBTQ+ students through the admissions and financial aid process.

Youth in Foster Care Supporting youth in foster care through the admissions and financial aid process.

Financial Aid and Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Supporting unaccompanied homeless youth with the financial aid process.

Information on Student Loans A brief overview of student loans.

Translated resources

Financial Aid Myths infographic in Spanish

Puget Sound College and Career Network radio spots on College Knowledge in Spanish

GEAR UP family guides in seven additional languages

Check out the College Knowledge Project section of this site for those materials

The College Knowledge Project

Over the past several years, a team of organizations worked together to create the College Knowledge Project, consisting of 23 student-tested and approved digital handouts compiled into a workbook designed to support college and career education planning. Full workbooks can be ordered through the 12th Year Campaign and digital copies can be found via the Washington College Access Network website. Lesson plans are also available for each chapter of the workbook to be used to guide students through the College Knowledge content.

The College Knowledge Project

The College Knowledge Project is a collaborative effort of:

Community Center for Education Results (CCER)
Puget Sound College and Career Network (PSCCN)
College Success Foundation/Washington College Access Network (CSF)
Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC)

College Knowledge hard copies

College Knowledge hard copies

Order your hard-copy College Knowledge workbooks via the 12th Year Campaign. Workbooks are currently available in English and Spanish.

College Knowledge handouts

College Knowledge handouts

Visit the Washington College Access Network website for specific College Knowledge chapters or one-pager handouts.

College Knowledge lesson plans

College Knowledge lesson plans

Created by CCER in collaboration with classroom teachers, these lesson plans were created to support implementation of the College Knowledge workbook content. Choose what’s most useful for you from these ready-to-use Google Slides.

12th Year Campaign training

Access these trainings to deepen your understanding of financial aid. Regional training may be offered by other organizations such as local community-based organizations. Please contact us if you are looking to connect with a local community-based organization or would like to schedule or join a WSAC-led training.

Recorded trainings

Recorded Trainings

Visit the WSAC YouTube Channel for recorded training on financial aid and other related topics.

Live virtual trainings

Live virtual trainings

Join the Aim Higher WA initiative for live financial aid training and strategy session opportunities. Click here for more information and to register for these free trainings.

WSAC Wednesday

Practitioners, do you have questions about financial aid? WSAC's College Access and Support division is here to help! Join us the first Wednesday of every month from 10:00-11:00am for an open Q&A. Register in advance at https://bit.ly/WSACWednesday.

Wednesday Webinars

Wednesday Webinars

During the 2022-23 school year, the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) will co-host a series of webinars for school counselors. Over the course of the year, we will provide relevant and timely information related to college readiness and financial aid, including specific policy changes and useful tools and resources to help you support students.

All webinars will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Registration information can be found here. Registration information will also be sent on OSPI's News & More for School Counselors. Subscribe at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/WAOSPI/subscriber/new. View the Wednesday Webinar Archives from the last several years for even more information.

2022-23 WEBINARS

October 19, 2022

Financial Aid Advising Day & Financial Aid Supports (recording)

March 22, 2023

Supporting Student Access to Career Preparation and Apprenticeships (recording)

May 17, 2023

Legislative Updates and Celebrations (recording pending)

Statewide virtual student and parent events

Statewide student financial aid filing events

Statewide student financial aid filing events

The 12th Year Campaign will be hosting statewide virtual financial aid informational and filing this year. Interested in attending our events? Please visit our events page to see upcoming events and register.

Parent town halls

Dates coming soon!

Data

College Bound Scholarship sign-up data

College Bound Scholarship sign-up data

Learn about your district’s College Bound Scholarship pipeline by visiting our sign-up dashboards.

FAFSA completion dashboard

FAFSA completion dashboard

Understand your district’s FAFSA completion trends and others throughout the state.

Student-level FAFSA completion portal

Student-level FAFSA completion portal

Access student-level FAFSA completion data by utilizing the WSAC’s FAFSA completion portal. Districts must have a signed data sharing agreement on file. Email fafsa@wsac.wa.gov to confirm your district has theirs in, get an account and gain access.

Watch our video on how to use the FAFSA completion portal.