According to national statistics, only 50% of all youth who have been in foster care graduate from high school. Less than 13% of those will go on to college or vocational training. In the state of Washington, the high school graduation rate and college attendance rate appears to be even lower than the national statistics.

Scholarship Information

• Approximately thirty new scholars are chosen each year.



• Scholarship award amounts range from $2000 to $4000 depending on the college of attendance.
  
  
• Scholarships can be used up to five years until completion of the student's program of study. Students must be enroll full time and maintain satisfactory academic progress in order to renew scholarships each year.
  

Scholarship Eligibility Criteria for 2009-2010 Academic Year
Each applicant for the Governors' Scholarship Program must meet the following requirements:

• The applicant must be (or have been until emancipation) a dependent youth in state, tribal or federally recognized foster, group, or kinship care in the state of Washington. For the purposes of this program:
  

  “State-recognized care” means that a dependency court order resulted from intervention by Washington State on behalf of the youth.

  “Federally-recognized care” means that the youth is classified by the United States Government as an unaccompanied minor refugee, is a legal permanent resident, and is in legal care (or was in care until their emancipation) of a private non-profit agency in Washington State.

  “Tribal-recognized care” means the youth’s placement is under jurisdiction of the tribal court.

  A high school senior over 18, who is no longer living with his/her foster family is still qualified to apply for the Governors’ Scholarship as long as he/she was in state, tribal or federally recognized care until their emancipation).

  “State-recognized kinship care”, means the state intervened on the youth’s behalf and issued a dependency court order resulting in the youth’s ward of the court status. A youth residing with relatives in any other type of situation is not eligible for the Governors’ Scholarship.

  A former foster youth who has been placed by the state back into the custody of his/her parent(s) before his/her 18th birthday, or who has been adopted, is not eligible for the Governors’ Scholarship.

  
  
• Be enrolled as a Washington State high school senior and on track to graduate from high school during the 2008-09 academic year.



• Have resided in Washington State for at least three academic years prior to high school graduation.
  
  
• Have a cumulative high school grade point average of at least 2.0.

• Plan to enroll on a full-time basis, beginning the fall term of 2009, and complete a program of study at an eligible, nonprofit accredited public or private college or university in the state of Washington.



• Submit the 2009-10 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).



• Mandatory participation in the Make it Happen! Summer Program - CSF will hold a four day, three night residential summer program during July 2009 and all Governors’ Scholarship recipients are required to attend. All expenses will be paid and transportation will be provided. Students who apply for the Governors’ Scholarship are automatically considered for Make it Happen and do not need to submit a separate Make it Happen application.
  

Scholarship Selection Criteria
A Governors' Scholarship selection committee will meet to review all qualified scholarship applications. The committee will select recipients based on the following four criteria:

1. Resiliency - the ability to persist toward educational goals in the face of challenges.
   
   
2. Openness to receive support - the willingness to seek and use support from others when needed to navigate through educational obstacles.
    
   
3. Educational and career goal-setting - the ability to set educational and career goals, and take intermediate steps to reach these goals.
    
   
   

Scholarship Application
Complete the Common Application to apply for the Governors' Scholarship For Foster Youth, the Educational and Training Voucher Program, Fostering Scholars, Passport to College Promise Scholarship Program or Treehouse Coaching- to-College Scholarship.

Common Application 2009

Dependant/Ward of the Court Verification Letter

Note: Applications must be postmarked by November 10, 2008.

Important Dates

Applications must be received or postmarked by Monday, November 10, 2008. CSF plans to notify, in writing, all applicants of the selection decisions in early January 2009.

Eligible Washington Colleges and Universities
Governors' Scholarship recipients may enroll at any of the following Washington colleges and universities:

 

Name	City
Antioch University	Seattle
Art Institute of Seattle	Seattle
Bastyr University	Kenmore
Bates Technical College	Tacoma
Bellevue Community College	Bellevue
Bellingham Technical College	Bellingham
Big Bend Community College	Moses Lake
Cascadia Community College	Bothell
Central Washington University	Ellensburg
Centralia Community College	Centralia
Clark College	Vancouver
Clover Park Technical College	Lakewood
Columbia Basin College	Pasco
Cornish College of the Arts	Seattle
Eastern Washington University	Cheney
Edmonds Community College	Lynnwood
Everett Community College	Everett
Evergreen State College	Olympia
Gonzaga University	Spokane
Grays Harbor College	Aberdeen
Green River Community College	Auburn
Heritage University	Toppenish
Highline Community College	Des Moines
Lake Washington Technical College	Kirkland
Lower Columbia College	Longview
North Seattle Community College	Seattle
Northwest University	Kirkland
Olympic College	Bremerton
Pacific Lutheran University	Tacoma
Peninsula College	Port Angeles
Pierce College	Lakewood & Puyallup
Puget Sound Christian College	Everett
Renton Technical College	Renton
Saint Martin's University	Lacey
Seattle Central Community College	Seattle
Seattle Pacific University	Seattle
Seattle University	Seattle
Seattle Vocational Institute	Seattle
Shoreline Community College	Shoreline
Skagit Valley College	Mount Vernon
South Puget Sound Community College	Olympia
South Seattle Community College	Seattle
Spokane Community College	Spokane
Spokane Falls Community College	Spokane
Tacoma Community College	Tacoma
Trinity Lutheran College	Issaquah
University of Puget Sound	Tacoma
University of Washington	Seattle
Walla Walla College	College Place
Walla Walla Community College	Walla Walla
Washington State University	Pullman
Wenatchee Valley College	Wenatchee
Western Washington University	Bellingham
Whatcom Community College	Bellingham
Whitman College	Walla Walla
Whitworth College	Spokane
Yakima Valley Community College	Yakima

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