#Free Application for Federal Student Aid

The 2025-2026 Free Application for Federal Student Aid is now open, and HawaiiKidsCAN Afford College is launching grassroots efforts to reach local students and families who may qualify for financial aid but haven’t applied.

Fall 2024 enrollment at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa surpassed 20,000 students for the first time since 2013, the university reports. The final enrollment numbers will not be official until the first week of October, but as of Sept. 17, there are 20,012 students enrolled at UH Mānoa, a 4% increase over 2023. 

Beginning this month, Hawaiʻi P-20 Partnerships for Education (Hawaiʻi P-20) and GEAR UP Hawaiʻi will launch the first in a series of its free workshops, held virtually and in-person, statewide to assist with high school students’ postsecondary education planning. All events are free of charge. Online Financial Aid Workshops will begin August 21 and will be held on Wednesdays from 6-7:30 p.m. through Oct. 2.

The University of Hawaiʻi and State of Hawaiʻi have committed $5 million in the 2024-25 Hawaiʻi Promise Scholarship fund to help prospective and current UH Community College students afford and access higher education.

The FAFSA Hawaiʻi Hotline is now open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through May 31. 

Local assistance will be available during the public schools spring break for families seeking help with applications for federal financial aid for students entering or attending college.