Scholarship vaults University of Akron to top of some students’ college lists

Raigan Kehres always knew she was going to college – the only question was how she would pay for it.

Kehres qualifies for a government Pell Scholarship, which will fund at least part of her college education. But how to cover the rest would burden her and her mother, said Kehres, a recent graduate of Ellet CLC’s Akron Public Schools.

She had narrowed her college choices to Kent State University or the University of Akron when she heard the news: Akron was offering Pell students the opportunity to graduate with no tuition fees.

In March, Akron began spreading the word among high school advisors in the area that students in six counties in the area who qualify for Pell – a scholarship for students with high financial needs – are also eligible for the newly created Zips Affordability Scholarship would qualify. The university would pay a new student’s remaining cost from tuition or Pell fees and other scholarships that the student has earned.

“I thought it was phenomenal that they did that,” said Kehres. “When I heard they were making such a generous offer, I thought this was probably my school.”

The announcement sparked dozens of calls for financial aid, said Provost John Wiencek.

“Is that really true? I can’t believe that, is that really true?” he said the callers asked.

It is true, although other people, including some faculties, have also asked how to do it, given the declining enrollments and layoffs from dozens of faculties just a year ago.

The university is looking for philanthropic donors to cover the costs, Wiencek said, but will already use scholarship funds in the budget for now. The program is the first big step in shifting part of the university’s financial aid from purely performance-based to needs-based.

An evolving route for granting aid

Currently, almost all of the university’s scholarships, other than athletics, are based on student test scores or grade point average. Any current merit scholarships that have already been awarded would continue to be honored, Wiencek said, but the university plans to divert money away from some of them in the coming years.

“We’re really having a bigger long-term discussion about who the students we want to serve and how we meet them where they are,” said Wiencek.

The university plans $ 3 million for the program in the first year. So far, around 500 students have come from the region with six counties who qualify for Pell, which automatically entitles them to the Zips Affordability Scholarship. The six counties are Cuyahoga, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit, and Wayne.

Wiencek said the university plans to stick with the program so that costs will increase with each cohort over the first four years. The maximum annual payout of a Pell grant is $ 6,495 for 2021-22. For each student, the university can pay a few hundred or a few thousand dollars that are left over after applying for other scholarships.

Talks about accepting such an on-demand scholarship took place at the university before the COVID-19 pandemic, Wiencek said, but have been suspended as the university focused on weathering the storm.

Address registration concerns

Akron’s enrollment fell 7% over the past year amid the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic. The university is expecting a further decline this autumn, albeit a smaller one of 4%.

Data from across the state has shown that students are still reluctant to enroll in school, Wiencek said. Many fear that if delayed by a year, they will never enroll.

“The students who are in this financially difficult position are simply choosing not to go to college or just not applying, not trying,” he said.

The university is now introducing affordability, he said, to encourage some of these students not to wait.

“This is the moment for an 18-year-old this year,” he said. “If you wait a year or two, it’s over. You will probably never go back and reconsider that. “

Adjustments could be expanded Area Qualifications

Depending on how many students are using the program and the funds available, Wiencek said the university is open to optimization, including opening up to others whose families are just making enough money that they don’t, but may still not, qualify for Pell have the means for higher education.

The program could also increase overall enrollment, which helps the university even if it subsidizes the costs of some students. Government grant allocations have several variables that determine how much money an Ohio university receives, but one is based on a three-year average of enrollment.

Less stress for families with problems to cover tuition fees

For Raigan Kehres, the program means less stress related to her education. A single mother’s daughter, Kehres, said her mother still had her own college debts.

“She didn’t want me to go the same way,” she said.

For the kids who need a boost to make college a reality, Kehres hopes the scholarship gives everyone a chance. And for Akron kids who might have missed their home university, she said the scholarship could put it high on the student list.

“That’s a lot of money to lose,” she said. “As the kids found out more about it, they definitely got a lot more applicants and a lot more kids who wanted to go to Akron University for that scholarship alone.”

To learn more about the scholarship, visit www.uakron.edu/finaid/scholarship-programs/zips-affordability-stipendium.

Contact education reporter Jennifer Pignolet at jpignolet@thebeaconjournal.com, 330-996-3216, or on Twitter @JenPignolet.

source https://collegeeducationnewsllc.com/scholarship-vaults-university-of-akron-to-top-of-some-students-college-lists/