Despite significant slashes to Washington state’s education budget and increasing college tuition, the state is offering full college scholarships for low-income families. The program, College Bound Scholarships, gives qualifying students four years of college tuition and a $500 annual textbook stipend.

Eligible students must register for the program while in seventh or eighth grade, maintain a 2.0 grade point average until graduation from high school and not commit a crime. Students are eligible if they qualify for free or reduced lunch prices, have a family income of $30,550 or less, or be in foster care.

This is the final year that ninth grade students can sign up for the program, which began last year.

The registration deadline is June 30. Students currently in eighth and ninth grade will not be eligible to register after June 30.

Only 26 of the estimated 175 eligible students in Snoqualmie Valley have registered, according to the school district.

The legislature set aside $7.4 million in 2007 to pay for the first two years of the program.

For more information, call (888) 535-0747 or send an e-mail to collegebound@hecb.wa.gov.