Last modified: Friday, December 8, 2006
IU to pay balance of tuition, fees for in-state Pell Grant recipients
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 8, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- More than 500 undergraduate students receiving federal Pell grants at Indiana University's Bloomington campus will get a big break on college costs beginning next fall.
IU will provide the balance of funding needed to cover full tuition and fees for all admitted in-state students who qualify for Pell grants. The only requirements are that the students score 1150 or higher on the SAT test and maintain a 3.0 grade point average while at IU.
The $1.8 million program was announced today (Dec. 8) by President Adam W. Herbert and Michael A. McRobbie, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at IU Bloomington.
"This important initiative reflects the continuing commitment of Indiana University Bloomington to eliminate financial barriers that prevent the enrollment of students from low-income families," Herbert said. "Through this new program, the Bloomington campus is now more accessible than it has ever been for Indiana high school students."
McRobbie said making IUB more accessible to students from low- and moderate-income families is a priority of IU trustees.
"In an era when many top state universities are being criticized for not addressing the affordability gap that shuts out low- and moderate-income families, IU is stepping up to find ways to give Indiana's low-income families a guarantee that we will be there for them if their children work hard and qualify for admission," McRobbie said.
The federal Pell grant program provides grants of up to $4,050 per year to students from low-income families. That grant typically would cover only about 60 percent of the total cost of tuition and fees at IUB. However, under the new Pell program, the entire balance will be made up by IU. The student will only have to find resources to cover books and living expenses.
Combined with four new financial aid packages announced last month, IUB will spend more than $10 million a year to make its programs more accessible for the families of undergraduate students.
Roger Thompson, vice provost for enrollment management, said all Hoosier families with potential college students should look closely at IUB's aid packages because there is something for just about every potential student.
"These initiatives are designed with two purposes in mind," Thompson said. "We want to give this state's best and brightest high school students yet another reason to stay in Indiana and enroll at a premier research university campus, and we want to eliminate all financial barriers to outstanding students whose family circumstances might otherwise rule out a four-year residential experience at IU Bloomington."
Thompson said the new 21st Century Scholars Covenant program will open the door to every participating high school student. The state-run 21st Century Scholars program guarantees the full cost of tuition at a state university to students from low-income families who fulfill a good citizenship pledge taken in the seventh or eighth grade. The program is open to virtually all students on free or reduced-price lunches.
IU's Covenant will supplement the state grant for tuition and fees to cover the "full cost of attendance," including books, room and board. This additional funding amounts to a full-ride scholarship for every 21st Century Scholar student.
"The combination of the Pell Grant program and the IU Covenant guarantees that financial resources will be available for every low-income student who achieves in high school and meets IU admission standards," Thompson said.
Here are descriptions of the programs announced earlier:
- IU Excellence Award: This program will pay full tuition to as many as 400 Indiana students who meet preset achievement standards for high school. It is specifically designed to provide a new incentive to top-achieving students to choose IU over out-of-state institutions. The program will cost $2.9 million next year.
- 21st Century Scholars Covenant: Applies to students attending IU on grants from the state's 21st Century Scholars Program, which pays tuition and fees to qualifying low-income students. The Covenant will supplement the state grant to cover the "full cost of attendance," including books, room and board. This additional funding amounts to a full-ride scholarship for every 21st Century Scholar student. About 200 such students enroll at IUB each year. The program will eventually cost an estimated $2.6 million per year.
- Hudson-Holland Scholar supplement: This program adds $1 million per year to the Hudson-Holland Scholar Program, which provides financial and educational support to academically talented undergraduate students from traditionally underrepresented minority populations. This funding will make possible a significant increase in the number of Hudson-Holland Scholars enrolled each year. Currently, there are 523 Hudson-Holland Scholars enrolled at IUB.
- Research Scholar: This new program will provide full-ride tuition to as many as 160 students who demonstrate strong academic potential in high school. They will "earn" a portion of their grant by working in laboratories side by side with IU research faculty. The program, which will initially cost $2.4 million, will be expanded to $4.7 million annually.
