A bill that would increase the amount of time a student is eligible to receive aid from state financial aid programs was voted off the floor of the Senate Friday afternoon. SB 5904 passed out with a vote of 34-14 and would extend the current five years of eligibility for certain programs such as the Washington College Grant to six years.
Sen. T’wina Nobles sponsored the legislation which applies to two other state financial aid programs besides the WA Grant, the College Bound Scholarship and the Passport to Careers program. Currently, students are eligible to receive aid from the three programs for no more than 125 percent of the length of the student’s academic program. The bill would extend eligibility to 150 percent, meaning recipients of the WA Grant and Passport to Careers programs could receive aid for six years and recipients of the College Bound Scholarship for five years. The move would align the length of eligibility for the state’s financial aid programs with the federal Pell Grant.
Recently appointed chair of the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development committee, Nobles also brought forward legislation this session to increase the median family income threshold for which students become eligible for the Washington College Grant from 65 percent to 70 percent.
The Council of Presidents, an association that represents WSU along with the state’s other five public universities and colleges, signed in support of the bill when it was heard in the policy and fiscal committees earlier this session. WSU supports this effort and continues to see improvements in its affordability, a result of state investment and philanthropic support. You can read more about that here.
SB 5904 now advances to the state House.