WAVE is a merit scholarship that honors the achievements of Washington’s top career and technical education (CTE) students. There are up to 147 winners each year — three from each legislative district. Successful applicants may receive up to $3,850* per year for up to two years.
*Award amounts are based on the total number of awards granted as funding is limited. Each WAVE award is based on the tuition charged at the college that the student attends, so the actual award may be less than the quoted amount above if the applicant's school charges less in tuition and fees.
WAVE funding includes support for tuition, fees, room and board, and other situational costs that will impact student success, such as, but not limited to, books, supplies, transportation, childcare, and expenses related to study abroad.
The application is now open for the 2024-25 school year, and closes March 10, 2024.
Applicant Eligibility:
- Must be attending a community/technical college within WA State.
- Must be enrolled in a professional/technical program.
- Must be active in the community through community service, paid or unpaid work, or volunteer activities.
- High school graduating seniors are eligible to apply if they have completed (or are in the process of completing) at least their second course within their professional/technical program.
How to Apply:
- Log in to www.WashBoard.org (or register as a scholarship seeker and create a profile if you're new to the site.)
- Use the search box to find the "WAVE" (Washington Award for Vocational Excellence) Scholarship 2024-25.
- Download two forms:
*CTE Certification/Recommendation Form - give this one to your career/technical instructor to complete.
*Letter of Recommendation Form - give this one to a reference who knows about your community service leadership, paid or unpaid work, and volunteer activities. - Complete the WAVE application online through theWashBoard.
- Upload the following documents to your WAVE application using the required naming convention (instructions here):
*completed CTE Certification/Recommendation Form
*completed Letter of Recommendation Form
*college transcript (high school seniors will need to submit their high school transcript and their college transcript) - The deadline to apply is March 10, 2024 for the 2024-25 academic year.
Applicants will be notified of results in late May 2024.