Tuition Increases and Cuts to Financial Aid Possible

Dead Bills: Last week was the cut off for bills that did not make it out of their house of origin. Many good bills are dead. For example, SB 5402 would have expanded eligibility for the Washington College Grant the most important state scholarship available.  HB 1557, would have guaranteed public college admission to every qualified student in the state and SB 5164, would have added more college counselors in Washington high schools.  Maybe they will have a chance in 2026?

Tuition Increases:  To make matters worse, a very bad bill for higher education (SB 5785) arrived on the scene March 7, penned by Senate Ways and Means Chair June Robinson (D-Everett). This bill allows public four-year colleges a one-time opportunity to raise tuition another 5% above the normal cap of 3.3% in the 2026-27 academic year. This means regents and trustees at the state’s universities and colleges could possibly raise tuition 8.3% for the 2026-27 academic year.

FYI…Put the tuition increases into context… For Evergreen students this bill means about $590 more in tuition per year on top of current in-state tuition $7,103. Plus, students must pay for other expenses: Student fees (mandatory), Room and Board, and Books and Supplies. See SB 5785 Fiscal Note, page 27.

Cut Scholarships: The Robinson bill also reduces the Washington College Grant scholarship, which now helps a family of four making $78,500 or less eligible for a full financial aid award, while families earning up to $120,500 may qualify for some level of financial aid. The bill eliminates all scholarship support for students/households earning 66-100% of the SMI (state median income). This means that about 17,500 students could lose some scholarship support. Under SB 5785, the levels would drop to giving full awards only to those at 25% of the SMI and partial up to 65% MFI. See SB 5785 Fiscal Note – Part II. Narrative Explanation, page 8.

Negative reaction and result of SB 5785: The bill has been swiftly and sharply criticized. Higher education advocates know that more revenue is needed, but the result of this bill would be more hardships for students and drop in enrollment.

Senator Robinson has indicated she will consider softening the college grant reductions in future versions of the bill. However, she has also made it clear that without new revenue options, there must be cuts in what the state spends on higher education.

Stay Tuned: A new state revenue forecast is expected by March 21. Maybe the forecast which will inform the last bits of work on the proposed operating budgets soon to emerge from the House and Senate budget leadership.