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National Guard Postsecondary Education Grant — With a Year of Service for Every Year of Money
A partial tuition grant for an actively drilling member of the Washington National Guard, and for a spouse or dependant. The award varies by institution type up to $6,500 for 2026-27, with up to $500 once for books — and carries an obligation to serve one year in the Guard for each year funded.
Verified August 23, 2026
What this benefit is
A partial tuition grant for an actively drilling member of the Washington National Guard, and for a spouse or dependant. The award varies by institution type up to $6,500 for 2026-27, with up to $500 once for books — and carries an obligation to serve one year in the Guard for each year funded.
What it's worth: $2,500 to $6,500 for 2026-27 depending on the institution, plus up to $500 once for books
- Maximum awards published by the student achievement council for 2026-27: community and technical colleges $2,500; applied baccalaureate programmes at those colleges $4,500; four-year regional public institutions $4,500; four-year private or for-profit institutions $6,500; four-year public research institutions $6,500; Western Governors University Washington $3,500.
- Up to $500 one time may be added for books and supplies.
- This is partial tuition assistance, not full coverage — the council says so plainly.
- Maximum eligibility spans six years, and funding is limited even inside the rolling application window.
Who is entitled to it
- You are an actively drilling member of the Washington National Guard.
- You are the serving member.
- A spouse or dependant of an active member is inside the programme in their own right.
- Your home is in Washington.
Not sure whether that describes you?
Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.
How to claim it
Deadline: Rolling through the academic year, while funds last- 1File the FAFSA or the WASFA first. The statute requires an approved student aid application and the council will not process the grant without one.
- 2Check the residency classification. RCW 28B.103.010 requires you to be classified as a resident student under RCW 28B.15.012 — a separate test from simply living here.
- 3Register for classes, then apply. The council advises applying after registration and after the financial aid application, and says award decisions typically take five to six weeks.
- 4Read the service obligation before you accept. It is at least one year of service in the Washington National Guard for each year of grant received, and it starts after the final term funded.
- 5Ask about relief from the obligation in writing if your circumstances change. The statute lets a participant be relieved of the obligation under rules the office adopts — that is a rule-based process, not a favour.
- 6If you are a spouse or dependant, have the member’s active DOD or DEERS identification ready; the council checks the sponsoring member’s status.
- 7Apply early each year. Funding is limited and the window is rolling rather than a single deadline.
- Form
- Online National Guard Grant application, after a FAFSA or WASFA
- File with
- Washington Student Achievement Council
- Annual
- Claimed once a year.
CorrectionThis is not a tuition waiver and it is not the dependants’ waiver at RCW 28B.15.621. It is a capped grant with a service obligation attached, and the two programmes have different eligibility and different money behind them.
Worth knowingThe award ceiling turns on the type of institution, not on what your tuition costs. A member at a community college is capped well below a member at a research university even if their unmet need is identical.
Known gapThe rules the office adopts for relieving a member of the service obligation were not read this session. If separation is a real possibility, ask the council for those rules in writing before accepting the money.
Sources
- authority · statuteRCW 28B.103.010 — national guard postsecondary education grant program (member of the Washington national guard or their spouse or dependent; enrolled in postsecondary coursework at an accredited in-state institution; an active drilling member in good standing; completed an approved student aid application; classified as a resident student under RCW 28B.15.012; an obligation by the member to serve in the Washington national guard for at least one year of service for each year the participant receives a grant, satisfied by rendering service or by being relieved of the obligation under rules adopted by the office; a maximum benefit amount for each member and their family members combined)
- operating · published policyWashington Student Achievement Council — National Guard Postsecondary Education Grant: 2026-27 maximum awards of $2,500 at community and technical colleges, $4,500 for applied baccalaureate programmes and four-year regional public institutions, $6,500 at four-year private, for-profit and public research institutions, $3,500 at Western Governors University Washington, plus up to $500 one time for books and supplies; partial tuition assistance, not full coverage; rolling application, funding limited; maximum eligibility six years
This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.