Applying for College Financial Aid? Meet Wyatt, the Digital FAFSA Advisor

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Oct 04, 2023, 07:33 ET

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Benefits Data Trust (BDT), a national nonprofit modernizing access to government assistance, today released Wyatt®, a digital advisor helping students apply for financial aid for college using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Wyatt communicates over text message to help high school seniors and other students complete the FAFSA, the gateway to federal Pell Grants and other financial assistance making college more affordable.

Wyatt is backed by research and powered by artificial intelligence to answer questions about the FAFSA. Students can securely text questions to Wyatt and receive customized responses and reminders.

Four in 10 high school seniors did not complete the FAFSA last year, leaving $3.6 billion in Pell Grants on the table.

"Ensuring cost is not a barrier to higher education and training is essential for America to have the high-skilled workforce we need to create a growing, inclusive economy," said Trooper Sanders, CEO of Benefits Data Trust. "Wyatt is a scalable solution to help more students, especially students from low-income backgrounds and first-generation college applicants, navigate the FAFSA and secure college financial aid."

The new FAFSA incorporates the most significant update in decades and will be released in December – not October 1, as usual. As a result, students must complete the form in a shorter window.

To update Wyatt, BDT collaborated with uAspire, a national nonprofit working to improve the economic mobility of underrepresented students by increasing access to financial aid and postsecondary pathways. BDT is also collaborating with Common App to share information about Wyatt with students and counselors who use the Common App platform.

Students can sign up for Wyatt at www.GetFAFSAHelp.org to be notified when the FAFSA becomes available and get advice on how to create a Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID.

First released in 2019, Wyatt has helped 30,000 students complete the FAFSA and secure nearly $40 million in federal grant aid. Research found students who use Wyatt have higher FAFSA completion rates. Low-income students are 34 percent more likely to complete the FAFSA with Wyatt.

About Benefits Data Trust

Founded in 2005, Benefits Data Trust (BDT) is a national nonprofit using data, technology, policy change, and direct service to help eligible people tap the more than $80 billion in unclaimed benefits that support needs such as food, healthcare and education.

Media Contact:
Kelsey Ruane
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445-895-2471

SOURCE Benefits Data Trust