An estimated 150 billion dollars in federal funds is available for post-secondary studies each year. However, much of it goes unclaimed because students and families are simply not aware of the resources available to them. That is why Univision Contigo launched its annual ¡Estudia, Hay Dinero! campaign — an effort to increase awareness of the many financial aid options available to students including grants, student loans and work study programs. The important first step to access any of these resources is completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
Ensuring we reach the needs of our loyal and diverse community, this year’s campaign included details on the types of financial aid available to recipients of “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” or DACA and undocumented students.
This year’s “¡Estudia, Hay Dinero!” campaign, which took place in January and February 2016, leveraged all of our media platforms to reach our community wherever they are, encouraging students and families to complete the FAFSA early in the new year.
And our efforts paid off:
- More than 28,000 families across the country received one-on-one help filling out the FAFSA during 231 workshops held in partnership with our local stations and organizations nationwide.
- We launched the first-ever national text hotline service in collaboration with our partners at the Get Schooled Foundation. More than 50 experts from across the country answered more than 3,500 questions that were texted in from students and parents throughout the campaign.
- Our Local Media stations held 9 phone banks at the local level with more than 3,000 calls answered, offering localized guidance on completing the FAFSA.
Eight lucky students also won $1,000 scholarships in a Twitter sweepstakes in collaboration with Get Schooled! Students who raised awareness about submitting the FAFSA form by tweeting using the hashtag #FAFSA were eligible. We received over 32,000 entries from students across the country with a social reach of 7.8 million – a 44% increase from 2015. Our campaign’s social reach was only second to the government’s official FAFSA student aid account!
Because of our company-wide efforts, nearly 20,000 applications were ultimately submitted during our events — and millions more learned about the importance of completing this form, and are now empowered to make their academic goals a reality.
Research shows that the most prevalent obstacle preventing students from fulfilling their goals of completing college and receiving their degree is financial aid. Thanks to the incredible work and commitment of our partners and teams across the country, we were able to help students in our community bridge the gap to a brighter future. This work is an integral part of who we are at Univision, providing us with the opportunity to empower our community – our greatest mission.
