Enrolling In and Paying for College

who do i contact if i need help paying for college?

The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges administers the Opportunity Grant program for low-income students pursuing a high wage, high demand career pathway. For more information on all financial aid, contact the financial aid office at your local community or technical college.

To retrieve financial aid contact information for community and technical colleges go to this link: http://www.sbctc.edu/general/c_employeesearch.aspx, select the college name and look for "financial aid" under "Category".

The Higher Education Coordinating Board administers most of the financial aid programs for Washington State. To learn more, visit: http://hecb.wa.gov/Paying/index.asp.

What typeS of aid are available to me?

There are four types of financial aid - grants, loans, work-study, and scholarships.

Grants are what students refer to as gift aid. As long as students enroll and successfully complete the courses for which they enroll, there is no repayment of the funds.
Loans are repayable. Students receive funds under several conditions, including paying back the funds (with interest) in the future.
Scholarships are gift funds that are generally awarded to students based on specific criteria, such as merit, talent, financial need, or program of study.
Work-study programs are employment opportunities for students. Jobs are located on-campus or off-campus and usually relate to the student's program of study.
Worker Retraining can help pay for tuition, books, fees, and other related expenses for individuals who lost their jobs due to economic changes and for those receiving Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits. For more information go to http://www.sbctc.ctc.edu/college/_e-wkforceworkerretrainingcontacts.aspx.

Veterans

Individual grants are available to veterans to help with education expenses. Visit the Veterans Innovation Programs at http://www.dva.wa.gov/Vet_Inn_Pro.htm for more information.

For more information...

FinAid! has helpful information for students and parents needing more information financial aid. Visit: http://www.finaid.org to learn more.

Or contact the financial aid office for more information about the programs available at your local two-year college.