Senate bill to decrease WA College Grant eligibility and increase tuition
A bill was recently introduced in the Senate that will increase tuition and decrease eligibility for the WA College Grant if signed into law.
By Michaela Ely
Senate Bill 5785 was introduced in the Ways and Means Committee of the Washington State Senate on March 7. If passed and signed into law, this bill will increase the extent to which universities can increase tuition on a yearly basis, while also decreasing eligibility for the WA College Grant.
The current cap on tuition increases for public universities in WA is currently three percent. This bill proposes raising the cap by up to five percent. The state budget for the next two years is expected to have a significant shortfall, but rather than make an attempt to generate more revenue for the state, Governor Ferguson has focused his plan to balance the budget on a series of budget cuts, according to the Washington State Standard.
“This bill does not generate more revenue for the state.? Rather, it would allow colleges and universities to at least partially make up future budget cuts to them by shifting expenses to students via higher tuition.?It also cuts the cost of the Washington College Grant (WCG),” UWT Professor of Economics Dr. Katie Baird said.??“Note that the ‘permission’ that this bill would grant to colleges and universities to increase their tuition is a temporary permission, limited to academic year 26/27.”
If this bill is signed into law, eligibility for the Washington College Grant will decrease from 65 percent of the median family income to a new income-based scale, reducing the overall percentage of eligible families and students. The cuts to the WA College Grant would potentially be permanent according to Dr. Baird.
“The impact of this bill on students at Washington state colleges and universities, like those at UWT, is pretty clear.? For one, in-state students during the 26/27 academic year should expect higher tuition than would be the case without this bill. ? Lower income students should also expect it to be more difficult to be eligible for the WCG with this bill,” Dr. Baird said.?
The tuition cap increases were implemented in 2015 after Senate Bill 5954 was passed which also resulted in an overall decrease in tuition statewide, tying it to the growth of the state median wage. WA Senate Republicans have stated that this bill will likely increase student costs by more than $700 in the 2026-2027 academic year and reduce state financial aid by almost $200 million.
The language of the bill is quite unclear for the average reader and it’s hard to understand what the implications of the bill may be. The Ledger reached out to the senator that sponsored the bill, Senator Robinson of the 38th Legislative District, who represents areas around Everett, Marysville and the Tulalip Reservation, but didn’t receive a response.
“Our approach so far has been bringing the bill to the attention of legislators in our district. Legislators that have championed, and previously supported, the Washington College Grant. A lot of them have shown the same frustrations that we have, but because it’s so new and the language is so complicated, we’ve had a lot of people tell us, well I need to learn more a little bit before I can have an opinion on it,” ASUWT Legislative Liaison Ashley Ramirez said.
ASUWT members encourage students to advocate for themselves, either through emailing or calling their legislators, as well as getting involved with the Student Legislative Action Council (SLAC). They have also sent emails with other ways for students to express their opinion on the bill, such as attending a committee hearing for the bill on March 24 at 4 p.m.
“Something that we’ve been getting really positive feedback on is we need to hear those student stories, and we need to see those student faces,” Ramirez told The Ledger. “Your own personal stories are really what’s gonna motivate lawmakers and really see the impact that they’re making on you and your family, not just yourself, but put a big emphasis on family or friends.”?
To find updates on the status of the bill and to send a comment to your legislator, visit the WA State Legislature website. ASUWT will also likely provide ways to get involved and updates via email.
