Washington State Scholarships and Grants
Take Care of Those College Expenses
The state of Washington funds a variety of scholarship and grant programs through the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board. Most of them aim to provide college funds to those students with demonstrated and severe economic hardship, in combination with an academic record of excellence.
More specialized programs focus on shortages in health care and teaching, especially in what are called under-served areas of the state, either very urban or rural.
General Scholarship and Grant Programs
The Washington State Need Grant and the Washington Promise Scholarships are made available to students who are state residents with the direst economic situations. The Need Grant is a non-merit based program and offers awards between $2500 and $5000 to pursue degree and certificate programs at either a public, private or vocational college in the state. Students may pursue any course of study except for Theology. Students are considered once they have completed a FAFSA application.
The Promise Scholarships are merit-based, besides need-based. The scholarships are only available to undergraduate students enrolled in a four-year college or vocational program on at least a half-time basis.
The Educational Opportunity Grant is available directly through the Higher Education Coordinating Board and is open to students who are Washington residents, at a junior level of study and attending a four-year college or university. Students must be economically challenged and defined as "placebound" meaning social or familial obligations threaten their college goals. Applicants must be willing to transfer out of their current program, thus relinquishing "placebound" issues, in favor of attending an eligible four-year college or university as listed by the state of Washington. EOG awards are $2500 per student, per academic year.
The Washington Scholars Programs awards nearly 200 resident high school students from across the state each year. Recipients are chosen based on academic excellence and demonstrated leadership skills. Scholars must already be accepted in a college program, public or private. Awards range between $2500 and $5500, depending on type of college the student is attending.
Washington Awards for Vocational Excellence grants are made available to nearly 300 resident students from across the state who are planning on pursuing a vocational or technical program.
For those Washington state students with a Native American affiliation, the American Indian Endowed Scholarships are available. Students may be pursuing either an undergraduate or graduate degree and must be enrolled in a full-time program of study.
The Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship is awarded solely on academic merit to the most outstanding honors-level high school students. Recipients must already be accepted into a four-year college degree program to be eligible.
Specialized Washington State Scholarship and Grants
The Washington State Department of Health's Office of Community and Rural Health offers healthcare professionals an appreciable loan repayment program. Applicants may be residents or non-residents, but all must be willing to commit to serving in a professional healthcare capacity at a medically underserved facility or community within the state.
Similar to the loan repayment program, Washington State Health Care Professionals Scholarship Program aims to shore up areas of the state in which health care professionals are in serious shortage. To these ends the program offers valuable scholarship monies for either undergraduate or graduate study in a variety of health care professions. In exchange, recipients must agree to serve professionally in a health care capacity in a medically underserved area or facility within the state upon graduation.
Not only are health care professionals in short supply, but so are teachers. The Future Teachers Scholarship and Loan Repayment programs emulate the health care professionals programs in that they are designed to either pay upfront college costs or repay college loans in exchange for teaching services. Recipients may be needed within an underserved area or in subjects with teachers in short supply, such as science and math.
