SEATTLE – The people who distribute financial aid to college students in Washington State want to make sure parents know there will always be money to help low-income students pay tuition. But the same can’t be said for those in the middle class.
Despite the financial pressures of the recession and state budget cuts, more students got help for college during the past two school years than ever before. The problem, though, is that even more students were looking for help.
This year, as families wait to hear how much tuition is going up in the fall—the Legislature approved increases of 16 percent and above for some Washington schools—financial panic may be outpacing excitement for some.
Nearly 22,000 students who were qualified for a state need-based grant during the 2009-2010 school year did not get one because the money ran out, said Rachelle Sharpe, director of financial assistance for the Higher Education Coordinating Board. The numbers for the 2010-2011 school year have not been finalized, but she expects even more did not get the financial help they needed.
That’s a big leap from the 5,000 students who were qualified but didn’t get a grant in 2008-09.
Since the state’s need-based grants—and most other federal and state need grants—are distributed based on income, middle-class students are the ones feeling the most pain right now, said Sharpe and financial aid officers at Washington’s universities.
“We’re worried that families will be discouraged, that college is no longer an option for a family,” Sharpe said.
