Amends GS 115C-83.31 (exit standards required by the State Board of Education for high school graduation), GS 115C-218.85 (charter schools), GS 115C-238.66 (regional schools), GS 116-239.8 (UNC laboratory schools), and Section 6(d) of SL 2018-32 (renewal schools) to require completion and submission of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) during the student’s senior year unless the student’s parent or guardian (if applicable) or, if the student is an emancipated minor, the student completes a signed waiver certifying that the student understands what the FAFSA is and declines to complete it or the school’s principal waives the requirement due to extenuating circumstances. Applies beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.

Effective July 1, 2024, appropriates $100,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction in nonrecurring funds for the 2024-2025 fiscal year to be used to train, educate, and prepare public school units regarding the requirement of the act.