A new state program is lifting Alaska's worst-in-the-nation aid filing rate

Alaska has long finished last in the country at getting high school seniors to file for federal financial aid. A new state program appears to be moving the number.

Seniors who worked with Alaska Career Guides filed federal aid applications at 60.1 percent this year, up from 41.4 percent the year before, the nonprofit rootEd Alliance reported Thursday. That is 25 points above Alaska's statewide rate of 35.1 percent, and roughly matches the national completion record the class of 2026 set, though the two counts are close rather than strictly comparable.

The application is the gateway to Pell Grants, which don't have to be repaid, and to two state aid programs awarded first-come, first-served until the money runs out. A 2023 report found Alaskans leave an estimated $15.7 million in aid unclaimed every year by not filing.

The program launched in October 2024 as a partnership between the state's education and labor departments and several outside groups, including Sealaska Heritage Institute. Districts pick who does the advising. Eight districts took part this year, covering 20 schools and 208 seniors, and the state has listed 18 more as possible participants next year.

Statewide, Alaska led every state in the country in how much its completion rate grew, up 20.7 percent, ahead of New Mexico.

The same 2023 report cautioned that advising alone may not close the gap, citing spotty internet, transportation and messaging disconnected from rural and Indigenous families.