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Washington State Governors’ Scholarship for Foster Youth

The Washington State Governors’ Scholarship for Foster Youth is a scholarship program that helps young people from foster care continue their education and earn a college degree. The program is supported by Gov. Jay Inslee, The Honorable Chris Gregoire (former governor), The Honorable Gary Locke (former governor), and other former governors in Washington state.

Proceeds from the Governors’ Cup – an annual golf tournament – provide funding for approximately 30-40 new scholars each year who are planning to enroll in a Washington state college or university. Scholarship award amounts range from $2,000 to $4,000 depending on the college of attendance.

Selected students can access the annual scholarship for up to five years to complete undergraduate studies. Students must be enrolled full time and maintain satisfactory academic progress in order to renew the scholarship each year.

This application is now closed.

Washington State Governors’ Scholarship for Foster Youth Application Eligibility

To be considered for the Washington State Governors’ Scholarship, students must:

  • Have a high school diploma or equivalent by June 2024
  • Have a minimum cumulative high school GPA of 2.0 or GED equivalent through spring 2023 term (if your GPA is lower, you will be allowed to submit your fall 2023 grades at a later date)
  • Plan to enroll by fall 2024 at an eligible college or university in the state of Washington
  • Have resided in Washington state for at least one year prior to enrolling in college
  • Apply for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the free Washington Application for State Financial Aid
  • Meet one of the following criteria (either currently or until age 18):
    • Placed by a Washington state court order in any of the following living situations:
      • Foster Care, Guardianship or Dependency Guardianship (non-relatives, relatives, residential/group care)
    • Placed in federally-recognized care (a private nonprofit agency in Washington state), classified as an unaccompanied minor and rendered legal permanent residency in the United States
    • Placed under a dependency tribal court order outside of your home

Applicants are not eligible if they:

  • Have been adopted
  • Returned to live with their parents before turning 18 (regardless of whether the court continued to remain involved)
  • Have had their dependency court order dismissed
  • Were not dependent of a federal, state or tribal court prior to age 18
  • Have been emancipated

Deadline

The 2024-25 application opens on October 1, 2023 and is due on November 30, 2023. Supporting documents are due December 7, 2023.

 

Application opens

10/01/2023

Application closes

11/30/2023

Documents due

12/7/2023

Award notification

4/15/2024

Award acceptance

4/30/2024

Mandatory online orientation

May 2024

Washington State Governors’ Scholarship for Foster Youth Application

This application is now closed.

Required Documents

To be considered for the Governors’ Scholarship for Foster Youth for the 2024-2025 academic year, you must meet the eligibility criteria and complete each step below:

  • Submit an online application by November 30, 2023.
  • Upload the following documents to your online application by December 7, 2023​:
    • Unofficial transcript from your high school or GED provider showing grades through fall 2022 and cumulative GPA.
    • Copy of Dependency Court Order: Provide a copy of the official court document reflecting your current placement situation. Copies can be obtained from your social worker.
  • Request the following document through the application portal:
    • Letter of recommendation: Ensure your recommender submits a letter of recommendation by December 7, 2023.

 

Eligibility

I am now a Washington state resident, but I graduated from an out-of-state high school. Can I still apply?

Yes. You can apply even if you received your high school diploma or equivalent outside Washington state.

If I already have a bachelor’s degree, can I apply for this program to complete a second bachelor’s degree?

No. This program is only available for students to complete their first associate or bachelor’s degree.

If I already have an associate’s degree, can I apply for the Governors’ Scholarship?

Yes. You can apply to receive funding for your last two years of college degree.

I live in the state of Washington and I was homeschooled, but I did an online program through a school outside of the state of Washington. Am I still eligible to apply?

If you completed an online program outside of Washington, you are eligible to apply if you filed an “intent to homeschool” or “copy of the declaration” with your local Washington state school district. Maine is the most common online program. You will be required to submit a copy of your “intent to homeschool” or “copy of the declaration” in addition to an official copy of your transcript.

Can I apply for this scholarship if I’m not planning to enroll full time?

The intent of the Governors’ Scholarship is to fund students who will be enrolling full time (12+ credits) each term to complete their college degree within five years. If you are selected, we strongly recommend that you enroll full time each term. If you are selected and you do not enroll full time, please contact CSF for options. Students who are enrolled less than full time at the time of application are eligible to apply, as long as they are planning to enroll full time the following term.

Will I still be able to receive the scholarship if I transfer to another college or attend a different college than I originally reported on my application?

Yes. When students are selected in April, they will be asked to verify the colleges or universities they will be attending in fall. You can update your college at that time. If students who have been selected choose to attend a different eligible Washington college or university on a full-time basis and continue to meet all other program requirements, they will be eligible to have future scholarship disbursements sent to their new colleges. Please see the list of eligible Washington state colleges and universities you may attend and still receive the funds if selected.

May I major in more than one degree and still be eligible for the scholarship?

If you are enrolled in two degrees concurrently, you will only receive payment for study in one of your majors.

I lived with my grandparent(s), other family member or family friend, but they did not receive a court order naming them guardian. Can I still apply?

No. You must have been in a court-ordered placement naming your current care provider as official guardian in order to be considered eligible for the Governors’ Scholarship. Please see eligibility criteria for further information.

I was/have been adopted. Am I still eligible to apply?

No. Even if you spent years in court-ordered foster care, once you were adopted, you are no longer eligible to apply for the Governors’ Scholarship.

I don’t have a copy of my most recent court order. How do I prove I am in court ordered foster care/dependency guardianship/guardianship?

In order for your application to be considered, you MUST provide a copy of your most recent court order showing your official placement. If you do not have a copy of this, you can contact your social worker (if you have one), or you may contact the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) for a copy. Please contact DSHS at (800) 723-4831 toll-free. Please note that only official court documents will be accepted. “Dependent/Ward of the Court” Verification Letters from DSHS will NOT be sufficient.

I have been in foster care for x number of years, but I recently was placed back at home with my biological parent(s). Can I still apply?

Applicants are NOT eligible to apply if they have returned to live with their parents before turning 18 (regardless of whether the court continued to remain involved). You are also NOT eligible if your dependency court order has been dismissed.

Application

I am a Running Start student. Should I complete the application as a college or a high school student?

If you are a Running Start student, please complete the application as a high school senior, since you have not yet graduated from high school. When submitting your transcript, please request your unofficial high school transcript, and make sure your Running Start courses are included.

I am not sure what college I will be attending in the fall. What college should I put on the application?

If you have applied to more than one college, you may not know by the application deadline which college you will be attending in the fall. If you are still deciding which college you’ll be attending, please complete the application with your current first choice college. Students who are selected to receive the scholarship will be asked to complete an online scholarship acceptance form in May; at that time, you will be able to confirm the college you will be attending.

I have AP and/or IB courses. Are those courses counted towards my class level?

Once you are in college and your college accepts your AP and/or IB courses as part of your degree program, then you will count those AP and/or IB credits to determine your class level. Generally the college lists the credits they have accepted on your transcript.

How can I update information on my application once it has been submitted?

Once you have submitted your application, you cannot make corrections or provide updates through the online application portal. If you need to update the information you provided, please email the corrections or changes to us. Be sure to include in your email your full name, date of birth, preferred phone number, and school or college you have last attended.

Selection

How will recipients be selected?

College Success Foundation (CSF), as program administrator, will make selection decisions based on information provided by students in their applications. Selection decisions may be made using a variety of factors provided in the applications, such as:

  • Student grade point average (GPA) at the time of application
  • Scored essay questions
  • Scored recommender form and letter

I don’t meet all of the criteria to apply this year but think I may next year. Can I re-apply then?

Yes, you may apply next year again.

May I apply for more than one scholarship administered by College Success Foundation (CSF)?

Yes, you may apply for more than one scholarship administered by CSF.

How many years can I receive the scholarship? 

The length of time you are eligible to receive scholarship funding will depend on the length and amount stipulated in the Selection Award Notification that is emailed to you. If selected, please retain a copy of this email to refer to. The typical length of time you may receive your scholarship funds is up to 5 years (15 quarters/10 semesters).

How much can I receive from the scholarship each year?

The amount of the scholarship you receive each year will depend on the type of college you attend:

  • two-year community/technical college: $2,000 per year
  • four-year public college: $3,000 per year
  • four-year private college: $4,000 per year

Disbursement

When is my check going to be mailed?

Your check is cut the day listed in the “Payment Information” section of this site. You can also check a customized email sent to you in July confirming your school of attendance, disbursement amounts and disbursement dates of your scholarship.

I don’t see my scholarship check applied to my account. What can I do?

We recommend you give it 10 business days for the check to arrive in the mail at your school and for your school to apply your funds to your account. If after 10 business days from the date published in the “Payment Information” section you contact your financial aid office and they tell you they haven’t received your scholarship, please contact us so that we can cancel that check and issue a new one.

How will my dollar amount award be disbursed?

Awards are divided in equal amounts per academic term based on the number of credits you are enrolled. We assume fulltime enrollment unless you or your school let us know otherwise. We cannot disburse full year awards in just one term.

Accepting or Declining Your Scholarship Offer

Next Steps

If you have received a scholarship offer letter, you must complete this form, whether or not they are accepting the scholarship.

  • Students who are accepting the scholarship will have the opportunity to review and accept the terms of the scholarship. Failure to complete the acceptance form by the deadline may result in losing your scholarship.
    • Upload your donor thank you note (instructions below).
  • Students who are declining the scholarship must also complete the form to formally decline the scholarship.

Accept/decline your scholarship

Deadline: April 30, 2024

Thanking Your Donor

Scholarship recipients receiving the Governor’s Scholarship for Foster Youth must complete a thank you note for their donor.

Scholar Update/Thank You Template & Instructions

End of Year/Renewal Form for Governors’ Scholars

Instructions

ALL Governors’ Scholars must complete the end of year form and donor update each spring to let us know whether or not you will be renewing the scholarship for the following academic year. 

In the form, you will be able to indicate to us whether:

  • You are renewing your Governors’ Scholarship for the next academic year;
  • You have graduated; OR
  • You are not renewing the scholarship because you no longer meet the renewal criteria.

If you are graduating or not planning to renew, please complete the end of year form to formally decline the scholarship.

The form will open on May 1 and must be completed by June 30 every year.

Complete your form

Continued Eligibility Requirements

To continue receiving the Governors’ Scholarship, recipients must meet the eligibility criteria below. Your scholarship will be cancelled if you do not meet all the requirements:

  1. You must be enrolled at least half-time (6 credits) each term in the academic year at an eligible Washington state college or university
    • You are not required to enroll summer term. However, if you are considering enrolling in summer and would like to inquire about available funding, please contact the Scholarship Services team. If you have extenuating circumstances that require you to take a term off, please contact us.
    • You must continue to pursue an associate or bachelor’s degree.
  2. Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policies.
  3. File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or a Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA) by November 1 every year.
  4. Demonstrate financial need as defined and determined by your financial aid office. CSF reserves the right to review your financial aid needs and your scholarship may be forfeited if that need is fully met through other resources.
  5. Complete the annual renewal process (by June 30):
    • Fill out the renewal form online
    • Upload an unofficial college transcript
    • Upload a scholar update slide (see instructions below)

Students who do not complete this process may lose their scholarship.

Deadline: The form will open on May 1 and must be completed by June 30 every year.

Scholar Update Instructions

Continuing scholarship recipients of the Governors’ Scholarship for Foster Youth must complete a scholar update every year.

Scholar Update Template & Instructions

The following are not requirements for renewal; however, we recommend that you:

  • Keep contact information current: Please tell us when you have changes to your contact information so we can stay in touch with you regarding your scholarship. If there are any changes to your email, phone, or address please send updated information in an email.
  • Watch for emails from us: You may receive requests to attend events or participate in media activities. If so, we hope you will participate. You can also serve as a role model or mentor to other students. If you miss an email from us, please check your spam settings—be sure to add scholarshipservices@collegesuccessfoundation.org as an approved sender if needed.

How You Will Receive the Scholarship

We will email you in August to confirm that your funding will be sent, the name of your college, and the amount you’ve been awarded per term.

Funds can be used for tuition, fees, housing, food, books, transportation and personal expenses as detailed in the cost of attendance.

Your scholarship check will be sent directly to the financial aid office at your college following this schedule:

Fall Semester 8/2/2023
Fall Quarter 8/2/2023
Winter Quarter 11/15/2023
Spring Semester 11/15/2023
Spring Quarter 3/6/2024

Please allow processing time for the college/university to apply the scholarship to your student account and revise your financial aid. In some cases, the funds may not be applied to your account until after the start of the term. Please follow up with your college/university’s financial aid office to determine when the scholarship payment will be applied to your account.

Your scholarship will be divided equally over the number of terms of enrollment at your college/university. To receive the funds, you must be enrolled full-time and meet your college’s Satisfactory Academic Progress policy.

If you are not enrolled full-time at the start of the term, your scholarship funding will be delayed until the matter has been resolved. Generally, Governors’ Scholarship recipients must be enrolled full-time each term in order to receive your funding. As a general rule, when students do not enroll full-time, their award is prorated to reflect their enrollment status. However, if you are planning to enroll in less than 12 credits for a term, please contact us.

Applicant Questions and Documents

If you have questions about your application or to submit supporting documentation, please email us.

Please include the following information so that we can identify your application and answer any questions:

  • Full name
  • Date of birth
  • Preferred email address
  • Preferred phone number

This will allow us to identify your application and answer any questions. 

Phone: Call toll-free (877) 655-4097 between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. PST time Monday through Friday.

If you have trouble logging into the application, please contact the Helpdesk.

Current Scholars

Questions About Your Scholarship:

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