Washington College Grant

The Washington College Grant was created in May 2019 when the landmark Workforce Education Investment Act (WEIA) was signed into law. The Washington College Grant (WCG) is now one of the most generous financial aid programs in the country. 

The WCG is available to all eligible Washington residents, including undocumented students, and covers some or all of the college or career training costs for any student whose family of four makes $97,000 or less per year. Grants do not need to be repaid. Approximately 110,000 people per year are estimated to receive the Washington College Grant, with 79,000 of them expected to receive a scholarship that will cover their full tuition at any state university or apprenticeship program.

The maximum WCG award amount covers full tuition at any approved/eligible in-state public college or university, including community or technical colleges. The Washington College Grant award amounts vary based on income, family size, and the school or program attended.

At an approved private college or career training program, WCG provides a comparable amount toward tuition and other education-related costs. The state is in the process of identifying eligible non-campus-based apprenticeship programs.

The Washington College Grant replaced the State Need Grant, which had a limited budget that often fell short of providing grants to all eligible students.

Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee signed the Workforce Education Investment Act into law earlier this year.

The CSF government relations and advocacy team were instrumental in the passage of the WEIA. Together with advocacy partners from both nonprofit and business communities, we sent advocacy messages to their lawmakers, testified in person and in written testimony, and lobbied in Olympia on behalf of the bill. The legislation passed by one vote on April 28, 2019.

The Workforce Education Investment Act also invested in other high-demand programs, student supports and career-connected programming including:

  • $300 million for two-and four-year public colleges to increase enrollment in high-demand fields and support to “recession-proof” the state’s colleges and universities
  • expanded career-connected learning opportunities
  • a student loan refinancing program that will use interest rate buy-down incentives to allow qualified borrowers to receive below-market interest rates

Continued reading

Check out CSF’s other higher education advocacy priorities!

College Success Foundation, as a member of the steering committee of the Washington Student Engagement Network, held a highly successful student engagement day in Olympia in March 2019. Approximately 100 students voiced their support for the State Need Grant or its equivalent.