COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio will offer $1 million in scholarships to young Ohioans, Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday, announcing the “Vax-2-School" incentive.

What You Need To Know

  • Gov. DeWine said that Ohioans ages 12-25 who are vaccinated against COVID-19 would be eligible for a scholarship

  • Five $100,000 scholarships would be given away in drawings

  • The funds will come from pandemic relief money from the federal government

  • The vaccination rate among younger Ohioans is significantly lower than other age groups, according to state data

Residents aged 12-25 who are vaccinated and those who get vaccinated in the coming weeks would be eligible for the scholarships, DeWine said during a news conference. 

"I can't guarantee that this will work, but I think it has got a good shot at working, a good chance of working, and is worth trying," he said.

The governor said the vaccine incentive is similar to the scholarships Ohio offered in the Vax-a-Million lottery in May and June.

"Vax-a-Million worked. We had great success. For two weeks, we think well over 100,000 extra individuals got vaccinated. Some of them might eventually got vaccinated but we moved those up at least," DeWine said.

Five winners will be selected to receive $100,000 scholarships, and 50 winners will be picked for $10,000 scholarships. 

The Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Lottery will release more details about the “Vax to School” program in the next week, DeWine said. 

DeWine said that 12-25 age group has been the slowest and most hesitant to get the vaccine. And with hospitals stretched thin and compounded with staffing shortages, he said another incentive was needed.

The vaccination rate is the lowest for young Ohioans. State data shows 38.7% of children aged 12-15 are at least partially vaccinated, 45.7% of 16-17-year-olds and 48.7% of 18-19-year-olds. The overall vaccination rate in Ohio is 53.6%. 

"They're used to dealing with problems and when I see them upset and when I see them very concerned, I get concerned too. And so, it's worth it. We gotta throw the football. We gotta try to make something happen. We've got move our numbers up," said DeWine.​

DeWine thinks the success of the Vax-a-Million shows the potential of the newest lottery.

"We think it's very important for those numbers to go up, and that's why we're doing it. We think it will work. We think it will get some additional people, and get some interest in this," DeWine said.

The scholarships can be used for college or graduate studies in Ohio or toward education at most other types of schools in the state. 

DeWine said the “Vax-2-School” program would be funded through existing coronavirus relief appropriations.

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