YOUTH ADVOCACY HUB
BACKGROUND:
The Washington College Grant (WCG), The College Bound Scholarship (CBS), and the Passport to Careers are all need-based state funded financial aid programs to help make postsecondary education and training more accessible. All three have different rules regarding how much financial aid support a student can access or how much time they remain eligible to access the financial aid through these programs:
For the Washington College Grant:
The WCG limits the amount of time eligible students may access financial aid. For example, when accessing financial aid through the WCG an eligible student may receive financial aid for up to 5 years or 125% of the expected duration of a program.
E.g., A bachelor’s degree at a Washington university can be completed in 4 years. So a student would have up to 5-years (125% x 4 years) to complete a 4-year degree at a university.
For the College Bound Scholarship (CBS)
A student cannot receive the scholarship for more than four full-time years.
For Passport to Careers
The total amount of financial aid awarded cannot exceed what a student would have been awarded for them to attend a public university for five years with the highest annual tuition and state-mandated fees.
SUMMARY:
This bill aligns and extends the amount of time a student is able to access WCG, CBS, Passport to College, or Passport to Apprenticeship.
This means students are able to access these programs for up to six years, or up to 150% of the published length of the student’s program, or the credit or clock-hour equivalent.
POINTS TO CONSIDER ABOUT THIS BILL:
Below are some relevant statistics about students pursuing postsecondary degrees:
Of the students who complete a bachelor’s (4-year) degree only 44% complete that degree within 4 years of the start of their course of study.
30% of people who complete a bachelor’s degree will take more than four years, but less than six years to complete their degrees.
This percentage even higher for students of color.
Moreover, it's relevant to know that this bill proposal aligns with federal aid programs. For example, students who are eligible to receive federal need-based financial aid (Pell Grant) can access the aid for up to 150% of their program length.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Steps to Get Started
Learn where the bill is in the legislative process.
If there is an upcoming hearing, decide how you would like to get your voice heard and take action.
If there is not an upcoming hearing, or if you want to supplement your advocacy, call or write your legislators.
Spread the word and get other people on board.
Participating in a Hearing
Sign in Pro, Con, or Other
This is when individuals, advocates, and organizations make their position on a particular bill known for the record. This is particularly powerful in large numbers. Many organizations will send out Action Alerts asking people to sign in Pro or Con on a bill.
Submit Written Testimony
Submitting written testimony is a great way not only to make your position known, to legislators but also to explain why in more detail. This is a good option if you don't want to speak in front of others. People also like to offer more nuance to their position by writing.
Testify Virtually
Since COVID, many legislators are allowing remote/virtual testimony for bill hearings, as it greatly expands access to the legislative process across the state. For this, individuals usually have between 1-2 minutes to state their opinion on a bill in front of the legislative committee on Zoom.
Testify In Person
To testify on a bill in person, you must travel to Olympia and join the real-time committee hearing on the Capitol campus. You will also get between 1-2 minutes to state your opinion. This is often a powerful way to make an impression on legislators in the room.