WA Foots College Bill For Poor Kids

Low-income kids from Washington State no longer have to worry about who’s paying for college—as long as they keep up their high school grades and stay out of trouble with the law.

State legislators recently passed a bill, dubbed “College Bound,” as part of a recent string of initiatives to help low-income students obtain a college education. In order to qualify for the Washington College Bound Scholarship Program, seventh and eighth grade students must pledge to graduate from high school with at least a C average and not commit any felonies.

In return, the scholarship will provide funds to cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and materials, minus the value of any other state financial aid received.

So far, about 3,200 students have registered out of 56,000 eligible seventh- and eighth-graders statewide. Those who enroll must continue to meet the program’s low-income criteria when they apply for college admission. The deadline for enrollment is June 1 for eighth graders.