The 678 Gonzaga University students who previously received financial aid through the Washington College Grant will now have the difference covered by GU, despite state-level cuts to the program.
When Washington lawmakers voted to cut funding for the grant by $3,200 per student per year, a change set to take effect this fall, GU’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to use university funds to fill the gap, allowing students to finish their degrees with no change to their tuition costs linked to the cuts.
“I’ve never seen anything quite like this,” Board of Trustees Chair Mike Reilly said. “In the past, we have stepped up when things like Pell Grants were cut back. But this [cut] was one we felt we had to act on immediately, because when students go home for the semester, they want to know they’re protected in the years ahead.”…