Washington state must restore funding for private vocational schools | Opinion

Thousands of Washington students are being told that their education no longer counts.

In the most recent legislative session, the Washington College Grant (WCG), our state’s most powerful tool for making higher education affordable, was eliminated for students attending private career and vocational schools.

Career and vocational schools have been part of the Washington College Grant Program for forty years and have successfully offered an essential destination for students who want to choose career training. This drastic change which has incalculable consequences on the lives of students was made at the last minute and did not go through the normal legislative process. In the upcoming 2026 session, the legislature has an opportunity and responsibility to rectify this situation.

Students who qualify for the Washington College Grant can choose any school on the Washington College Grant list. The only seven institutions that were removed from student choice were schools that specifically offer career and vocational training as their total mission.

At the 2-year credential level, these schools include Divers Institute of Technology and three cosmetology schools such as Evergreen Beauty College. At the 4-year level, the schools include Seattle Film Institute and Northwest College of Art and Design. These institutions offer high-demand programs in fields not replicated in the public sector and serve populations that have historically been left out of traditional higher education pathways.

The schools that have been removed from WCG eligibility have strong student outcomes, including high graduation rates and clear pathways to well-paying careers. Seattle Film Institute has the highest graduation rate at 80% of any 4-year institution in Washington State. At Divers Institute of Technology, 93% of students graduate and 92% go on to work in the commercial diving industry. And they’re earning good wages: the average annual salary for commercial divers in Washington ranges from $86,000 to $156,000.

There are no public alternatives for many of these programs in Washington. A student can’t just transfer to a community college if they’re studying commercial diving, game development, or film production. There are practically no cosmetology programs left at Washington state community colleges. These students, many of them veterans, parents, or working adults, will simply be shut out of completing their education.

Yet beginning in 2026, students who would have qualified for the Washington College Grant, many receiving Pell Grants and taking out loans, will see their aid slashed solely based on the tax status of their institution. The aid amounts being eliminated may seem modest but for the student, those dollars are the difference between graduating or dropping out.

Make no mistake: the schools aren’t going anywhere. But the students will.

Washington State is in a tough budget situation but targeting only students who are specifically choosing career schools that have extremely high placement and graduation metrics does not solve this problem. Students attending career schools are allotted less than one-half of 1% of the funds that are earmarked to degree and credential completion by Washington State. And, because students who choose these schools are funded at a lower level than the public sector, if these students were to transfer to eligible schools, the state would be spending $500 million more than it does now.

The only way Washington State can save money by delisting the career schools is if students were to drop out — something no-one wants to see.

The Legislature now has the opportunity to restore access to the Washington College Grant Program for students who choose to attend career and vocational schools. For 40 years, students have had the ability to attend career and vocational schools because they are looking for direct pathways to careers.

They graduate from these programs at an extremely high rate and have documented job placement. They are able to start careers with sustainable incomes and contribute to the economic health of Washington State as taxpayers. Restoring WCG access for students attending private career colleges isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s a practical investment in Washington’s workforce, economy, and most of all, in the people working hard to build their future.

Let’s reopen the door.

Maryann Brathwaite is executive director of the Northwest Career Colleges Federation.

This story was originally published January 29, 2026 at 5:00 AM.