Guaranteed College Grants

Residents Of Washington D.C. Are Eligible For Free College Tuition

Jul 11, 2006

If you have lived in Washington D.C. for 12 months, you may apply for a college grant up to $50,000 if you are under the age of 25.

In 1999 Congress established a college tuition program that allowed students only from the District of Columbia up to $10,000 to attend a college in D.C. or any state they wish. The grant program was to encourage students to go to college without the worry of excessive debt when they graduated. It has been a great success.

Expanding Cost

This program has been so successful that the funding has doubled to accomodate the need. More students are enrolling in the program and college tuition is rising. When it began in 1999, the initial budget was $17 million. The 2006 budget is $33.2 million with 5,000 students taking advantage of the grant program.

Pros

This program has breathed life into the D.C. economy allowing students to get an education and return to the community with a college education. For many participating in the program, they hold the first college degree in the family. And, instead of families being on assistance and needing tax-based assistance, families are contributing as tax payers to assist others. Since the college debt is low, graduates that return to D.C. can afford homes, cars and a way of life that is considered comfortable.

Cons

What about the other states? Washington D.C. is not the only needy pocket in the U.S. Many states in the Midwest are suffering economically and would enjoy having the economic boost that a college grant program would provide. What about southern states that have been hit by hurricanes or the inner city schools of Chicago and Los Angeles?

Cap Spending

John Files of The New York Times reports that President Bush wants to increase the program's budget to $35 million for next year. Many argue that this increase will not be enough to cover the increased participation. Senator George Voinovich from Ohio who is Senate subcommittee chairman on the District of Columbia, says he is concerned about rising costs and wants to cap the program at $33.2 million. Voinovich also wants to extent the program for the next five years. After that, the future is undecided.

Private Donors

While the U.S. government is funding the program, the private sector is also contributing. The Washington Post Company, Verizon, America Online, Lockheed Martin and Exxon Mobil are but a few that have donated funds.

No Income Requirement

The District of Columbia College Access Program has no income restrictions. The wealthy can participate as well as the poor. The initiative has also spent millions of dollars placing full-time college advisers in public high schools in D.C. While this is great and wonderful, can we afford to continue this program indefinitely?

Suggestion

One way to control costs would be to ask for FAFSA information and give grants to only the most needy. Or, give more generous aid to the lowest income students and lesser grants to those with lesser needs.

While this is a successful and generous program, other states in the union would also benefit from the same.

The copyright of the article Guaranteed College Grants in Educational Issues is owned by Barbara Pytel. Permission to republish Guaranteed College Grants in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

May 19, 2009 7:35 PM

Guest :

I think paying for college is more sensible than national healthcare. Our college educated citizens would be more likely to land a job with such benefits. I would love to see gov funds pay for school instead of some other programs that could disappear if higher education was more accessible.