College Bound Scholarship
Background
Governor Christine Gregoire’s Washington
Learns report recommended scholarships
and support for low-income students to
increase educational attainment and prepare
more citizens for family-wage jobs and
careers.
In response to that charge, the 2007
Legislature established the College
Bound Scholarship (Senate Bill 5098).
The governor and Legislature allocated
$7.4 million to pay for the first two years
of the program, beginning in 2012.
The scholarship also is aligned with the
state’s 2008 Strategic Master Plan for
Higher Education, which calls for stepped
up efforts to make college more affordable
and accessible as a way of raising
educational attainment.
Washington currently ranks 32nd nationally
in the percentage of low-income students
participating in post-secondary education.
Within 10 years, these students will
represent 33 percent of the high school
graduating class. Without intervention,
72 percent of the 28,000 seventh graders
in low-income families are unlikely to even
aspire to college, let alone enroll.
Eligibility
The scholarship is aimed at helping seventh-
and eighth-grade students in low-income
families plan for and afford a college
education. It is guaranteed for all students
who apply during their seventh or eighth
grade year and continue to meet all
eligibility criteria until they graduate from
high school.
This year’s eighth-grade students must apply
by June 1, 2008. This year’s 7th graders have
until June 1, 2009 to apply. Currently, an
estimated 56,000 students are eligible to
apply for the scholarship.
Requirements
To receive the scholarship, students must:
Submit a College Bound application/pledge
during their seventh- or eighth-grade year;
Graduate from a Washington high school or
home school and apply for admission at an
eligible Washington college or university;
Maintain a cumulative 2.0 grade point
average;
Meet the family income requirements at the
time of gradu