Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - October 28, 2004
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136
Alt Contact:  Kris Betker, Higher Education Coordinating Board, 360-753-7817

Gov. Gary Locke Awards $8.4 Million in 2004-05 Washington Promise Scholarships

Gov. Gary Locke today launched his sixth annual statewide tour of college campuses to recognize more than 7,500 recipients of Washington Promise Scholarships, a program he created to help high-achieving, low- and middle-income students pay for college. About $8.4 million in state funds will be used to fund the program this year.

Today, the governor presented scholarship certificates to students at Washington State University (WSU) in Pullman. He will visit Western Washington University (WWU) in Bellingham tomorrow, Oct. 29.

“These scholarships are a ‘promise’ to the young people of our state,” Locke said. “If you do well in school and need help to go to college, we will help you. A college education is part of the American dream – and every child in our state deserves the chance to make that dream a reality.”

The governor created the Washington Promise Scholarship program in 1999. During the 2002 legislative session, lawmakers made the program permanent and Locke signed it into law. Nearly 35,000 Promise Scholarships have been awarded since Locke created the program. A total of 948 recipients currently attend WSU. A total of 832 recipients currently attend WWU.

To be eligible for the scholarship, students must either rank in the top 15 percent of their senior classes, or earn a combined score of at least 1,200 on the SAT or at least 27 on the ACT on the first attempt. Their family income can be no more than 135 percent of the state’s median family income, which is currently about $89,900 for a family of four.

“The Promise Scholarship is an investment in our state’s future,” said Jim Sulton, director of the state Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB). “Not only are we helping some of our brightest and most talented students realize their dreams, we are helping ensure that those students stay in Washington. They are great additions to our state’s colleges and universities.”

The HECB administers the scholarship program, with assistance from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. More than 7,500 college freshmen and sophomores are eligible for scholarships this year, receiving up to $1,176 each for two years.

Students may use the scholarships at public two- and four-year colleges and universities, or accredited independent colleges, universities and private career schools in Washington.

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Related links: www.governor.wa.gov; www.hecb.wa.gov

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