On top of the typical anxieties of the college application season, California's high school class of 2025 had some unusual hurdles to clear. First, there was the two-month delay in when the 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form was available to students and their parents. Then, devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area that disrupted so many lives.
Nearly three-quarters of California public high school seniors applied for federal financial aid this year, soaring past last year's figures by 11% and giving further indication that California's efforts to get more students to apply for federal grants are paying off. This time last year about 307,000 high school seniors completed a financial aid application. This year, that number is around 340,000.
In a press release Wednesday, the department said California must rescind its guidance permitting participation based on gender identity, issue written apologies to cisgender female athletes, restore records and titles 'misappropriated by [transgender] athletes,' and adopt binary 'biology-based definitions' of sex.
Jakob Conry's journey as a college student illustrates the challenges faced by many community college students in California who struggle with housing insecurity.