(1) The council shall adopt a centralized online statewide calculator tool for the purposes of estimating federal Pell grant and Washington college grant awards for all public four-year institutions of higher education in Washington state.

(2) The tool must provide an estimate of state and federal aid based on student and family financial circumstances.

(3) The calculator tool must be published on a website managed by the council.

(4) The financial aid calculator must be for estimation purposes only and is not a guarantee of state aid. Neither this section nor the estimates provided by the financial aid calculator constitute an entitlement on the part of the state, and no institution, agency, or their agents or employees may be held liable for any estimates created through its usage.

(5) The financial aid calculator must be designed for anonymous use and may not be used to collect or share any data.

Intent—Conflict with federal requirements—2020 c 307: See notes following RCW 28B.77.290.