Governor JB Pritzker is making college more affordable for students with a new law to increase FAFSA completion in high schools, giving thousands more Illinois students access to federal aid. Beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, high school students will complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or an alternative state form created by Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) as a part of their requirements for graduation. Students with extenuating circumstances may complete a waiver to opt out of the program. Increased completion rates will ensure more federal dollars are allocated toward Illinois students. Currently, only 59 percent of Illinois students complete the FASFA application which ranks the state 9th in FASFA completion. House Bill 2719 takes effect on January 1, 2020. The bipartisan budget also reverses a 20-year trend and makes a significant down payment on rejuvenating funding Illinois’ nine public university systems and our community colleges.