Gov. Justice declares State of Emergency, suspends FAFSA requirement for state financial aid programs

With Gov. Justice’s proclamation, students who qualify and apply for the Promise Scholarship by September 1, 2024, will receive an award of up to $5,500 for the 2024-25 academic year.

If a student completed last year’s (2023-24) FAFSA and qualifies for the need-based Higher Education Grant, they will receive the award of up to $3,400 for the fall semester. If they don’t have a previous FAFSA on file but are eligible for one of the following programs through the West Virginia Department of Human Services (DoHS) or West Virginia Department of Health (DH), they can show their Department eligibility letter to their higher education institution’s financial aid office to receive the Higher Education Grant:

DoHS

• SNAP
• TANF
• Medicaid
• CHIP
• Child Care Subsidy Program

DH


 
If a student or their family needs a replacement DoHS or DH eligibility letter, they can call the Office of Constituent Services’ Customer Service Hotline at 877-716-1212 to request a new one.

“We know that the cost of going to college is one of the biggest hurdles West Virginia students already face when planning for education after high school, especially our low-income students. That’s why our state has invested so strongly in our own financial aid programs – which, combined, total more than $100 million each year for West Virginia students,” Sarah Armstrong Tucker said, West Virginia’s Chancellor of Higher Education. “I thank Governor Justice for his strong leadership and allowing students to access these funds this year despite their FAFSA status. And I encourage students to continue working to complete the FAFSA so that they can get as much money from other sources, including the federal government, as possible.”

Students and families can visit https://www.collegeforwv.com/ for more information and to apply for state aid programs, or call West Virginia’s financial aid hotline at 877-987-7664.