Northwest Education Access (formerly Seattle Education Access)

Mission: Northwest Education Access provides higher education advocacy and opportunity to young people struggling to overcome poverty and adversity throughout King County. Vision: All students will be able to reach the level of higher education necessary to reach their goals. Previously called Seattle Education Access, the organization was founded in 2002 to help homeless young people access higher education. Today, we serve over a thousand students all over King County and have over 50 partnerships.

Northwest Education Access is the only nonprofit in Washington state that focuses on non-traditional students (students who did complete high school, or did not go to college after high school) in accessing higher education. Our programming connects non-traditional students, ages 16-29, with the information and financial resources to help them achieve their dreams of a college education. Most of the youth who become students with NW Education Access' help have not completed their high school diploma or ever enrolled in college. Each student’s educational path is assessed case by case and case managers design a personalized plan to help the student succeed in college. The program encompasses many different activities to meet these goals including, but not limited to: -GED preparation and COMPASS/SAT review -Help with picking the right campus and degree program -Help with registering for classes -Connecting students to on-campus resources and career-related mentors -College 101 workshop -Providing books and supplies for class -One-on-one tutoring sessions, lasting a half hour at least once a week -How to create a budget -Financial aid and scholarship application guidance -Gap Scholarships that fill the gap between a student’s financial aid offer and total budget needs