The Olympian Logo

Immigrant students must get in line for state college aid | The Olympian

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
    • Customer Service
    • About Us
    • Buy Photos and Pages
    • Contact Us
    • Plus
    • Mobile & Apps
    • Newsletters
    • Newspaper in Education
    • Subscribe
    • Subscriber Services
    • Archives

    • News
    • Business
    • Crime
    • Databases
    • Death Notices
    • Education
    • Local News
    • Military News
    • Obituaries
    • Politics & Government
    • State
    • Traffic
    • Watchdog
    • Weather
    • Opinion
    • Cartoons
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Opinion Columns
    • Submit a Letter
    • Sports
    • College
    • High School
    • Mariners
    • Preps Stats
    • Seahawks
    • Sounders
    • UW Huskies
    • Politics
    • Living
    • Announcements
    • Food
    • Health & Fitness
    • Home & Garden
    • Travel
    • Entertainment
    • Arts & Culture
    • Comics
    • Puzzles & Games
    • Events Calendar
    • Horoscopes
    • Movies
    • Restaurants
    • Outdoors
    • Fishing

  • Classifieds
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Cars
  • Homes
  • Place An Ad
  • Mobile & Apps

Politics & Government

Immigrant students must get in line for state college aid

ANNALIESE DAVIS

    ORDER REPRINT →

March 01, 2014 12:00 AM

With the governor’s signing of the Real Hope Act earlier this week, the state might have made a bigger promise of college financial aid than it can keep, at least immediately.

The legislation was signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Jay Inslee as dozens of students watched. The law makes students brought to the country illegally as children eligible for state need grants to attend colleges and universities.

The Real Hope Act, nearly identical to the better-known state Dream Act that had passed the House, makes Washington the fourth state to allow students who are in the country illegally to receive financial aid awarded from state grants.

One problem: Washington’s state need grant program is already underfunded by millions of dollars.

SIGN UP

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to The Olympian

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

The new law anticipates that state budget writers will allocate another $5 million for the program to account for the newly eligible students. But state officials don’t know how many students will apply under the new eligibility.

In the 2012-13 school year, 811 students without legal immigration status took advantage of an earlier state law permitting them to pay in-state tuition rates. Real Hope supporters expect more students to enroll in school and come forward for assistance now that state financial aid is also available to them.

The extra $5 million envisioned by the law is estimated to cover the cost of education for 1,250 students. But they will be joining an already long line for aid. In the 2012-13 school year, the state provided need grants to 74,000 students. The same year, 32,000 eligible students went without aid.

The Legislature set aside $303 million for the state need grant for the 2013-2014 fiscal year, but officials say that’s not enough.

“To fully fund the state need grant would require an additional $135 million,” said Rachelle Sharpe, director of student financial assistance at the Washington Student Achievement Council.

Another catch for Real Hope students, who are not allowed to complete the federal financial aid form due to their immigration status: The special application for state need grants won’t be ready for a few weeks, and deadlines for priority consideration for financial aid at four-year institutions will have already passed.

Deadlines for two-year community and technical colleges range from March to July, Sharpe said. Funds for two-year colleges tend not to be exhausted until July, but four-year universities, such as the University of Washington, disperse funds sooner.

Students waiting to apply for the state need grant can apply for admission to institutions and talk with financial aid advisers. Sharpe said the council is encouraging the schools to try to provide equitable access for newly eligible students.

“It’s first come, first serve,” Sharpe said. “But it doesn’t necessarily mean that the day after (the priority consideration date) funding is gone.”

Audrey, a University of Washington Tacoma student who asked that his last name not be used because he and his family are in the country illegally, is one of the students who will sign up as soon as the form is available. Officials said it should be available in April.

Born in Mexico City, Audrey was brought to the United States at age 10 by his parents. Now 20, Audrey and his family moved to the Puget Sound area five years ago, in the wake of anti-immigration laws in Alabama.

“My family really wanted to help me and my sister go to college,” Audrey said.

Audrey receives some scholarships that help pay for his tuition, but works part-time to cover the rest. Working limits the amount of time he can spend studying for his courses in computer science. He said that although the new law doesn’t guarantee he will have access to a state need grant, it gives him hope.

“It’s not a given that you can have it but in a way it’s a relief,” Audrey said. “I know there’s a possibility to apply for some financial help.”

Officials don’t expect everyone to be as aware of the new assistance as Audrey, so there may not be a large influx of Real Hope applicants in the first year.

“It’s going to take time to spread the word,” Sharpe said.

How to qualify

The Washington Student Achievement Council created readysetgrad.org/hope to help students brought to the country illegally understand their options with the passage of the Real Hope Act.

To qualify under the new law, students must have come to the U.S. before the age of 16, attended for at least a year and graduated from a Washington state high school, and lived in the state for at least three years before receiving a high school diploma.

Annaliese Davis: 360-943-7240 annaliese.davis @thenewstribune.com

  Comments  

Videos

Trump announces national emergency to get border wall funding

Sen. McConnell says Trump will sign spending bill and declare a national emergency

View More Video

Trending Stories

Another storm, another big question: Why was power out for so long?

February 16, 2019 07:00 AM

Woman dies after wreck on highway in Thurston County

February 17, 2019 11:20 AM

Infant girl, plus woman holding her, suffer gunshot wounds after man ‘shows off’ handgun at party

February 17, 2019 09:48 AM

Deaths for Feb. 16

February 16, 2019 01:46 AM

Three from Thurston County win Mat Classic titles. Yelm’s Dubose, Platt go back-to-back

February 17, 2019 10:11 AM
Local display advertising by PaperG

Read Next

Hundreds stranded as British airline Flybmi collapses

Business

Hundreds stranded as British airline Flybmi collapses

By GREGORY KATZ Associated Press

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 17, 2019 04:28 AM

Hundreds of passengers have been stranded by the abrupt collapse of the British regional airline Flybmi.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to The Olympian

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE POLITICS & GOVERNMENT

Vote on minister’s immunity puts Italian populists in bind

Nation & World

Vote on minister’s immunity puts Italian populists in bind

February 17, 2019 01:10 PM

National Politics

Florida man charged with aiming red laser at helicopter

February 17, 2019 01:07 PM

Nation & World

Suspect in killing of 4 hostages during standoff has died

February 17, 2019 12:58 PM

Nation & World

El Salvador arrests ex-soldier in slaying of US advisers

February 17, 2019 12:54 PM

Nation & World

US immigration officials detain 2 bankers wanted in Ecuador

February 17, 2019 12:43 PM

National Politics

Officials: Centralia sinkhole unrelated to underground fire

February 17, 2019 12:42 PM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

The Olympian App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Contests-Promotions
  • Vacation Hold
  • Rewards
  • Pay Your Bill
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Photo Store
  • Archives
Advertising
  • Information
  • Place a Classified
  • Local Deals
  • Place an Obituary
  • Today's Circulars
  • Special Sections
Copyright
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story