Incentives for getting a COVID-19 vaccine have run the gamut from cash prizes to donuts, but now a new wrinkle has entered the chat: free college.
San Francisco State University on Monday unveiled a program offering 10 prospective students ages 12-17 four years of free, fully-funded undergraduate tuition – a stunt worth almost $30,000 at the current rate.
"It's also about reminding students that there is nothing more important as they view their own upward mobility, and their family's upward mobility, than attending college," SFSU President Lynn Mahoney said at a news conference on Monday.
Only those living in San Francisco qualify, including kids who have already gotten their shots and were 17 when they got their first dose. More than 90% of San Francisco residents in the qualifying age group have already been vaccinated for COVID-19.
"I'm so proud of the city, San Francisco State and the district partnering together to make this happen for our youth," said San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Vincent Matthews. "Dollars, funding, scholarships, actually, it's one thing to say go to college, it's another thing to know you have the dollars to make it happen."
To register, anyone eligible can enter the lottery at specific vaccination sites around the city on six dates: Monday, 10/25 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Visitation Valley Neighborhood Vaccination Site (1099 Sunnydale Ave.), Tuesday, 10/26 from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Malcolm X Academy School (350 Harbor Rd.), Wednesday, 10/27 from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Balboa High School (1000 Cayuga Ave.), Friday, 10/29 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Ella Hill Hutch Community Center (1050 McAllister St.), Tuesday, 11/2 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Mission District Neighborhood Vaccination Site (24th St. and Capp St.) and Saturday, 11/13 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at McCoppin Elementary School (651 6th Ave.).
Winners will be randomly chosen from the entry pool and will be notified privately before a public announcement on Nov. 22.
"Many of our schools that are open, we want them to stay open," San Francisco Mayor London Breed said. "We want the teachers, we want the administrators, we want the janitors and all of the folks who work in those schools, and our kids, to be safe."
The program is a joint effort between the school, SFUSD and San Francisco Department of Public Health.
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