While presidential candidates debate how to make college more affordable, Washington is actually doing it. The Legislature this year passed the Washington College Grant program, an expansion and rebranding of the previous State Need Grant.
The program guarantees that every Washington student from a family earning up to the median income — $92,000 this year for a family of four — will receive free or reduced tuition at public or private colleges. For families earning up to 55 percent of the median income, the program will cover 100 percent of tuition, fees and activity costs, and a sliding income scale calculates grants for other students.
The program, which takes effect when this year’s high school seniors enter college — the fall of 2020 — is part of a state financial aid program of about $450 million per year. As Rep. Drew Hansen, D-Bainbridge Island and the chair of the House Higher Education Committee, told The Seattle Times: “I don’t think it’s quite sunk into people how unusual this is.”
Upon signing the legislation in May, along with other bills related to higher education, Gov. Jay Inslee said: “Washington is ahead of the nation both in providing unprecedented access to the opportunity to get a degree, certificate or apprenticeship qualification, and in creating innovative programs to connect students with work experience. We are leading the nation with our financial aid program and we’re securing quality education in a bipartisan way.”
In the process, Washington’s leaders are investing in the state’s future. That is evident by the fact that Microsoft and Amazon executives supported the legislation, which is funded by new taxes on “advanced computing businesses” with annual revenues of more than $25 billion. Companies throughout the state recognize that an educated workforce is essential to their continued success and are willing to commit to that education.
In an opinion piece for The Seattle Times in March, Microsoft President Brad Smith and education leaders wrote: “We must act now when our economy is healthy. We need to structure a dedicated fund that will better ride out and resist budget cuts when, sooner or later, we inevitably confront the next recession.”
Since the end of the Great Recession, lawmakers in Washington and other states have worked to make college more affordable and more accessible. Here, that resulted in a one-year tuition freeze in addition to increased budgets for colleges and financial aid. Inside Higher Ed reported last week that the 2017-18 academic year saw the largest national increase in financial aid in a decade.
The hope is that such commitment continues. Higher education is essential for the United States to compete in an increasingly global market marked by innovation and disruptive technology. At the state level, that translates as having a qualified workforce that can attract and retain industries while helping companies expand.
The Washington College Grant program can play a role that, be it for recent high school graduates or for adults starting or returning to college. In addition to the state’s four-year colleges, grants also may be applied to private, community or technical colleges and may be combined with other grants.
The first step for families is to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and for educators at high schools and middle schools to raise awareness about the scope of the new program. As Rep. Hansen said: “We will see the benefits of these investments for decades, as more people can now get good jobs and support their families.”
