Wyatt, a digital FAFSA advisor from the nonprofit Benefits Data Trust (BDT), has operated since its launch in 2019 and provides college-bound students with free, personalized assistance to complete the FAFSA.
“Wyatt guides students through the FAFSA, texting helpful reminders and answering all their questions, day or night,” said Neeta Sonalkar, Director of Higher Education Innovation at BDT. “Wyatt has already helped over 30,000 students unlock nearly $40 million in federal grant aid.”
Wyatt is now available for students to sign up at www.getfafsahelp.org to get early reminders about the FAFSA and help with creating an FSA ID in anticipation of the 2024-25 FAFSA anticipated to launch December 31st. Until the FAFSA launches, Wyatt will primarily field questions on the FSA ID. Once the FAFSA opens, Wyatt will send a notification to students and offer assistance with questions about the full application. Wyatt is free for students to use and available 24/7 to students who sign up.
Privacy is of utmost importance to both Wyatt and BDT. To sign up for Wyatt, students need only to provide a first name and phone number. Students are never asked to share any personal or financial information, and if they do, Wyatt will erase that data automatically and students will be advised not to share that information. No personally identifiable information except for first name will be captured by Wyatt.
Findings from BDT’s research team, produced in collaboration with the College Board, finds that Wyatt can be very beneficial in helping students complete the FAFSA. Specifically:
Among class of 2022 College Board Opportunity Scholarship students, 45% of Wyatt users completed a FAFSA compared to 15% of non-users.
BDT found “that low-income users completed the FAFSA at higher rates — 56% — than non-low-income students, at only 37%.”
76% of students who opted to receive messages from Wyatt responded to at least one text message.
84% of Wyatt users rated their experience as “good” or “excellent.”