The Baccalaureate Scholarship provides up to $22,500 in flexible financial aid support and access to career-launching support services for students pursuing high-demand STEM and health care majors. This scholarship can be used to cover tuition, fees and other costs of attendance such as living expenses, food and more. Funding can be used for any eligible STEM or health care degree at any eligible public or private college or university in Washington state.
More details on eligibility, funding and more can be found below. Scholars are invited to use the quick links to the right for easy access to frequently used documents and processes.
Baccalaureate Quick Links
Scholars who first received support in 2017-18 (Cohort 6) or earlier.
Scholars who first received support between 2019-20 (Cohort 7) and 2020-21 (Cohort 9).
Annual Award Amounts
The Washington State Opportunity Scholarship funds students for three, four or five years, based on Scholars’ grade level[1]. Once a student has exceeded the maximum number of years of funding, scholarship funding will expire, and the student will be withdrawn from the program.
All Opportunity Scholars enter the program at Award Level 1. While at Award Level 1, the academic year total received by students is $2,500. Students are eligible to receive funding at Award Level 1 for a finite number of years. This is also determined by grade level at time of application:
| Application Grade | Maximum Years of Funding Available | Maximum Years Eligible for Level 1 Funding |
|---|---|---|
| High school senior (12) | 5 years | 3 years |
| First year college (13) | 4 years | 2 years |
| Second year college (14) | 3 years | 1 year |
[1] WSOS calculates what we consider to be Scholars’ grade level at time of application (“application grade”) based on the number of terms of college study they have completed post-high school regardless of credits earned. Credits earned in Running Start do not impact a student’s application grade. Students who have studied at a college level for: no terms are considered high school seniors; one to two semesters or one to three quarters are considered first year college students; three to four semesters or four to six quarters are considered second year college students.
Students will receive Level 1 funding until they submit an Award Increase Request. To maintain their scholarship, students must submit an Award Increase Request by October 1 of the year they are required to do so. Scholars are encouraged to submit their Award Increase Request as soon as they meet the requirements as this will allow them to maximize the funding received.
When a student’s Award Increase Request is approved, they will be assigned the appropriate Award Level based on the number of credits earned at time of increase described in the tables found in the Award Increase Request section of the website.
For each term after increase, the student’s funding will automatically progress each term to the next sequential award level. The amount of funding the student will earn per term will be determined by their Award Level. Scholars should expect to receive either three quarters’ or two semesters’ worth of funding per academic year. The tables below outline the funding amounts per term students can expect to receive, if they are enrolled full-time, based on Award Level:
| Award Level | Amount Per Quarter |
|---|---|
| Level 1 Q | $834 or $833 |
| Level 2 Q | $1,668 |
| Level 3 Q | $1,666 |
| Level 4 Q | $1,666 |
| Level 5 Q | $2,500 |
| Level 6 Q | $2,500 |
| Level 7 Q | $2,500 |
| Level 8 Q | $1,668 |
| Level 9 Q | $1,666 |
| Level 10 Q | $1,666 |
| Award Level | Award Per Semester |
|---|---|
| Level 1 S | $1,250 |
| Level 2 S | $2,500 |
| Level 3 S | $2,500 |
| Level 4 S | $3,750 |
| Level 5 S | $3,750 |
| Level 6 S | $2,500 |
| Level 7 S | $2,500 |
The award amount students receive will be prorated if they are enrolled less than full-time. Students enrolled three-quarter time (between nine and 11 credits in a term) will receive 75% of the award listed in the table above. Students enrolled half-time (between six and eight credits in a term) will receive 50% of the award listed in the table above. Students enrolled less than half-time (fewer than six credits) will be withdrawn. Enrollment status is confirmed ten days after start of term.
Once a student reaches the end of the table above (having reached Level 10 Q or Level 7 S), they will be withdrawn from WSOS as they have exceeded the maximum leveled funding and are no longer eligible to receive scholarship dollars from WSOS.
Disbursement Cycle
Disbursements are sent directly to the financial aid office of the institution where Scholars are attending prior to the start of each term. The scheduled disbursement dates for WSOS in the 2021-22 academic year are:
| Term | Date |
|---|---|
| Fall Quarter & Fall Semester 2021-22 | August 2, 2022 |
| Winter Quarter & Spring Semester 2021-22 | December 13, 2022 |
| Spring Quarter 2021-22 | March 7, 2023 |
Scholars can confirm funds disbursed on their behalf by logging in to the Scholar Portal. If an actual disbursement is reflected in the Scholar Portal and students do not yet see funds in their account, it may be due to processing time. Institutions take a few weeks to apply scholarship funds after they receive them. If students see an actual disbursement and are concerned fund still have not appeared in their account, they should contact the financial aid office on their campus.
Scholar Portal
We recommend all Scholars familiarize themselves with the Scholar Portal. This is where Scholars can view key details about their scholarship and submit forms and upload required documents. The Scholar Portal is the place for Scholars to:
- View upcoming and past disbursements. Scholars can see all awards scheduled for the current academic year (anticipated disbursements) and any funds already sent to their institution (actual disbursements).
- View important deadlines. Scholars can see their deadline for increasing their scholarship as well as the deadline by when their scholarship will expire.
- Provide student ID number. Scholars can provide their college ID number by completing the Update or Provide College ID form. This will ensure disbursements scheduled by WSOS can be appropriately applied by financial aid staff on campus to the appropriate student account quickly and reliably.
- Keep contact information current. Email is our primary means of communication with current Scholars, keeping them up-to-date about requirements as well as opportunities. Any changes to phone, email or mailing address can be submitted via the Update Contact Information form.
- Update changes to college of enrollment. Updating WSOS with accurate college of enrollment information is critical to ensuring on-time delivery of scholarship funds to the correct institution and account. Changes can be submitted via the Update College or University form.
- Request an award increase. All Scholars should request an award increase as soon as they are eligible to do so. This form can be submitted via the Scholar Portal.
- Request a leave of absence or reinstatement. Life happens. In some cases, Scholars need to take a brief leave of absence from college but plan to return quickly. In other cases, Scholars have been withdrawn from the program for some time and wish to be reinstated.
When forms or uploads are submitted via the Scholar Portal, Scholars can log in any time to view the status of requests (typical processing time is 2 weeks).
New Scholars who are accessing the Scholar Portal for the first time should follow the steps below:
- Visit the Scholar Portal.
- Click “Forgot your password”.
- Enter the email address provided to WSOS at application.
- An email will be sent with a link to reset the password; follow the instructions to enter the Scholar Portal.
- If still unable to log in or having trouble viewing information, email awards@waopportunityscholarship.org.
Keeping in Touch
Email is our primary means of communications with all Scholars. All Scholars should check their spam settings to ensure receipt of WSOS emails. While all students have the right to unsubscribe from WSOS emails, this will result in missing important information and deadline reminders.
Questions about scholarship dollars or eligibility?
Contact awards@waopportunityscholarship.org or call 1-877-899-5002
Questions about the near-peer mentor experience, the Scholar Lead program?
Contact success@waopportunityscholarship.org
Questions about the industry mentoring program, Skills that Shine?
Contact skillsthatshine@waopportunityscholarship.org
Questions about getting support related to career services?