LYNNWOOD — More than 60,000 Washington students are throwing away their shot at free college tuition.
These are low-income middle schoolers who are guaranteed a full ride to any Washington college if they fill out an application, maintain a 2.0 grade point average and don’t commit a crime before they graduate high school.
Some haven’t applied because they think the deal is too good to be true. Others don’t know about it. And some just haven’t taken the time to fill out the brief application, which includes one question about family income and basic information about the applicant.
Statewide, just 28,000 students have applied since the program began last year.
Many students wrongly believe they need to pay to apply for the scholarship or that it’s some kind of hoax, said Amie Mbye, an eighth-grader at Alderwood Middle School in Lynnwood.
She is among the 17 percent of eligible students in the Edmonds School District who have applied for the scholarship. Last week, she was thrilled to receive a letter from the state Higher Education Coordinating Board, which manages the program, informing her that she has been accepted.
“It changes things,” Amie said, sitting on a couch in the home she shares with her parents and four siblings. “I’m doing a lot of sports right now, but now I put studying first before everything else. … I have this opportunity to take my education and go somewhere with it. That’s what I want to do.”
In Snohomish County, 20.6 percent of the 7,039 eligible students have applied for the College Bound scholarship. To qualify, students must either be in foster care or have families with income low enough to qualify for Temporary Assistance for Needy Family benefits or for free or reduced-price meals at school. A family of four must earn $39,300 or less to qualify.
Usually students must apply for the program in seventh or eighth grade, though this year’s ninth-graders may also apply. Applications are due June 30.
The program entitles students to a scholarship that would cover the cost of tuition, plus $500 for books, at a state university or a technical or community college.
Administrators in Lake Stevens are trying to encourage more students to apply by hosting a dinner for eligible students and families on June 4 at Cavelero Mid High School. The idea is to try to enroll students before they leave, said John Gebert, principal at Cavelero Mid High School.
“While the information has been made available, I’m just not sure that it’s really been processed by kids and by families,” he said. “Kids can’t see much past the end of the week honestly, and I think maybe for a kid in a family where college is not something that’s an automatic and a given, they just don’t see it as a real tangible thing.”
The Legislature created the College Bound program to give low-income students a chance at college. Lawmakers have been putting aside state tax dollars to pay for the scholarships. With the state facing record budget problems this year, they didn’t allocate money for the program, but have guaranteed that students who enroll will receive scholarships when they graduate, said Gary Larson, spokesman for the Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Lawmakers limit applications to middle school students to encourage them to start thinking about college earlier and to take the necessary steps to get into school.
Current ninth-graders will be the first group of students to receive the scholarships.
“Especially now with the economy and college costs, I think (the impact) is going to be huge,” said Mike VanOrden, principal at Alderwood Middle School. “If kids have a knowledge that the outcome is they may eventually go to college, it can make a huge difference on their performance in school right now. If a kid knows they’re working toward something, they work more.”
Knowing college tuition is paid for is a major relief for Amie’s family. The 14-year-old had planned to find a job and work through high school to save up for college. Her mom, Isatou Mbye, worried that if her daughter worked, she would lose focus and stumble. But with four kids and just one income — her husband is a nurse — the Gambian immigrant didn’t know how she could pay for Amie’s schooling.
She hadn’t heard of the College Bound program until Amie brought home a letter from school about it.
“When we were growing up, we did not have that opportunity because my parents were poor and they could not afford to send me,” the stay-at-home mom said. “It’s a blessing to have her go.”
Kaitlin Manry: 425-339-3292, kmanry@heraldnet.com.
On the Web
For more information on the College Bound scholarship program or to apply online, go to www.hecb.wa.gov/ collegebound.
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