College Bound 101 Webinar: Register for Spring Training

The Washington College Grant (WA Grant) is one of the most generous need-based financial aid programs for higher education in the country. Available to families making up to 100% of the state’s median income, the program provides flexible, guaranteed funding to help pay for education beyond high school. To take advantage of the grant, eligible students just need to fulfill the College Bound pledge, apply for financial aid and attend a participating college in the state. But what is College Bound?

On May 9, members of the College Success Foundation (CSF) and Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) teams hosted the first of two free webinars covering the basics of the program. The “College Bound 101” spring 2024 training and refresher provided an overview of who’s eligible for funds, how enrollment works and advice on how to talk about the program with students. The WSAC team walked through how educators can use the College Bound portal to get up-to-date information about student eligibility. The event also included an exciting update on recent legislative changes that provide students with even more flexibility in accessing College Bound funds.

In addition, the session covered how educators can partner with the CSF team to ensure the best outcomes for their students and what types of issues the WSAC team can help resolve. In particular, the WSAC team wants to make it as easy as possible for educators to guide students toward College Bound, so they shared an overview of their “Create Your Future” series of student-facing materials. These worksheets help students identify their career interests and start thinking about college as early as middle school.

If you missed the first session, there’s still time to register for the second session, which will take place on Wednesday, May 22. In addition to getting a refresher on the program, it’s an outstanding opportunity for you to get your questions answered by the CSF and WSAC teams in real time. As an added incentive, if you register, attend and respond to a post-training survey (or two), you can enter for a chance to win a $10 gift card. Details will be provided during the webinar.