Free tuition and housing available for Alaska high-school students to attend PWSC
by Jessica Young |
Prince William Sound College (PWSC) is offering free tuition and housing to any Alaska high-school student who enrolls in any PWSC course. Students can pursue occupational endorsement certificates (OECs), work towards an associate or bachelor’s degree, or take dual-credit courses.
PWSC offers OEC programs that prepare students for entry-level career positions in high-demand industries: natural resources, marine mechanics, industrial mechanical maintenance (millwright), construction, and web programming. Dual-credit courses are courses that count for both high-school and college credit. This opportunity is perfect for any Alaska high-school junior or senior who wants to explore a career field prior to graduation, prepare to enter the workforce upon graduation, and/or earn college-level credits to transfer to a more advanced degree program. This opportunity will continue to be available to Alaska high-schoolers through the fall semester of 2024.
High-school senior Teak Barhaug, from Seward, is one student who took advantage of this opportunity by completing his OEC as a Natural Resources Technician (NRT). His tuition and housing have been paid for in full by grant funding through DEED, the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, from the American Rescue Plan.
As Barhaug shares, “It's an awesome opportunity, especially here. The programs and the instructors are amazing. It's all hands-on learning, and so it's not sitting and doing lectures for hours and hours on end. It's honestly been my favorite school experience I've had so far. It all adds up into one big, nice package.”
High-school PWSC students, if attending an in-person program, will only have to pay for incidental expenses, meals, and transportation to Valdez.
The fall semester begins August 26, 2024. Registration opens April 8. For more information on this incredible opportunity for Alaska high-school students, or to enroll a student, contact PWSC Student Services by phone at 907-834-1600 ext. 3 (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.) or email pwsc.student.services@alaska.edu.