The Great Recession, from late 2007 to June of 2009, was the most severe financial and economic collapse since the Great Depression. With sales tax revenues plummeting by more than 10% in the first year alone, Washington State responded by reducing spending by more than $11 billion. Support for state universities was necessarily slashed, forcing annual tuition increases of 15% or more that added up to a 75% increase in tuition at Washington State University over a period of four years. Eligibility for the State Need Grant, which provided tuition support for low-income students, was further restricted.
It has been said crisis is the mother of innovation, and many reforms were instituted to help the state cope with future crises. By 2015, the state had recovered enough for Gov. Jay Inslee and the legislature to fund a 15% reduction in tuition over a period of two years while limiting future tuition to a maximum percentage equivalent to an average of median wage growth over the previous 14 years (equivalent to about 2.5% today).
The big game changer for post-secondary education came in 2019 when the governor and legislature replaced the State Need Grant with what is called the Washington College Grant, or WCG. Eligibility was further expanded in 2022. There are no age limits for the WCG, and support is available for both part-time and full-time students at most campus-based education or training programs including two- and four-year state, tribal and private institutions. In some cases, support is available for noncampus-based apprenticeships.
The WCG is a needs-based program where, for example, it is possible that a student from a family of four and an income of $64,500, or a family of three with a single parent making $28/h would qualify for full tuition support. Even a family of four making up to $107,000 might qualify for some support.
Interested in applying? All prospective new and returning students must fill out a federal financial aid application (FAFSA) and that is all that is needed for the WCG. There is no charge to file a FAFSA, and it has been simplified in recent years. There’s no hard deadline for filing, but it is best to do so soon after Oct. 1 if you have plans to seek post-secondary training in the coming year. If you visit the WGC webpage, you will find resources to help with the process of submitting the FAFSA.
Recall that the WCG was implemented in 2019, so the full benefits of this investment are probably yet to be fully realized, but the news to date is very encouraging. For example, when we compare student metrics from 2014 to those of 2022 at Washington State University, we find that the percent of undergraduates who pay no tuition rose by 6% (31% to 37%) and the percent of undergraduates paying full tuition dropped 9% (42% to 33%). The percent of residents graduating with no debt increased to 50% from a low of 35.6% in 2015.
When students graduate with debt, the national average is about $30,000. For WSU students, the average debt was $23,812 in 2014 compared to $23,708 in 2022. Today’s average debt is equivalent to $19,040 in 2014 dollars according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics calculator. That is, since 2014, Washington State’s investment is higher education has contributed to a 20% decline in average debt at WSU when normalized for inflation
These investments are consistent with a recent poll of Washington State residents showing that 78% feel that education beyond high school is extremely or very important, and an equivalent proportion feel this way about the importance of helping students from low-income backgrounds get the skills they need to succeed and to have jobs capable of supporting a family. Ninety-one percent agree that we need to provide learning and apprenticeship opportunities connected to degrees and other credentials, and that job retraining needs to be part of the package.
It is clear from this poll and the actions of our elected officials that education and training are highly valued by Washington residents. Nevertheless, with only 19% of residents being at least somewhat familiar with the WCG, we need to work harder to get the word out.
Call (he/him) is a microbiologist and father of three. He first discovered the Palouse 38 years ago.
