Michigan opens third round of Universal FAFSA Challenge

Published on October 27, 2026

Michigan school districts and public school academies may apply beginning Oct. 27 for the third round of the Universal FAFSA Challenge, the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) announced. Applications are due Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2026. ¹

The $10 million Universal FAFSA Challenge provides funding to local school districts and public school academies to adopt completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as a high school graduation requirement, with a simple opt-out provision for qualifying students. In the previous round, participating districts received an average of $781.73 per 12th-grade student. Participating districts must adopt their FAFSA completion policy by June 30, 2027. Districts and academies that received funding in the previous round are not eligible to apply again.

MiLEAP will host informational webinars for schools interested in applying on Nov. 12 at 1 p.m., Nov. 18 at 11 a.m. and Nov. 20 at 3 p.m. Eligible school districts and public school academies are encouraged to apply. Eligibility requirements and application details are available on the Universal FAFSA Challenge webpage.