University of Northern Colorado students walk across campus on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, in Greeley. Colorado residents with the highest financial need. To better support students and ensure they can earn a college degree, UNC has launched a new initiative called the UNC Tuition Promise for Fall 2024. (Jim Rydbom/Staff Photographer)
Kaci Higgins, a junior at the University of Northern Colorado, feels like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders after the university announced a new financial aid program.
UNC announced this month the Tuition Promise, which covers standard tuition and mandatory fees for all eligible undergraduate students (both new and continuing students) who meet certain criteria. This program begins this fall.
Higgins estimates she will save more than $5,600 by taking 13 credits next semester. The current cost of these credits is $5,621.40.
Higgins, a 21-year-old from Littleton, is working towards graduating in December. She is an anthropology major and is interested in working with cultural aspects of public health. She is paying for her own education and is supplemented by her study job at the UNC Financial Aid Office.
“My first thought was, I must have misunderstood this,” Higgins said of reading an email about the show about three weeks ago. “It seemed impossible to cover the costs for so many students. It certainly feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.”
She estimates that next semester's tuition break will save her about $3,750 in post-college loans. In this program, Higgins pays only room and board fees as a student living on campus.
Mr. Higgins is also attending graduate school. His lower payments to UNC for his final semester will allow him to save a little more by fall 2025, when he starts his graduate program.
“It helps me preserve my savings because I don’t have to stress as much about paying for next semester,” Higgins said.
University officials hope the program will lead to similar outcomes for other students, improving access and affordability of education.
To qualify, students must have an adjusted household income of $65,000 or less or a Student Aid Index (SAI) of 3,000 or less.
The Student Aid Index is used by a college or career school's financial aid office to determine the amount of federal student aid a student will receive upon admission. This index is based on information from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form.
“We needed to identify and remove barriers that impact students and their experiences,” said Cedric Howard, UNC vice president for student affairs and enrollment services. “This creates a clear path to obtaining an affordable, high-quality degree here at UNC.”
To be eligible, students must be a Colorado resident or eligible for the Advancing Students for a Stronger Tomorrow (ASSET) program. This program includes students who have lived in Colorado for at least 12 consecutive months and attended a Colorado high school prior to enrollment. Been in school for at least one year before graduating or been in the state for at least one year before completing a high school equivalency exam.
Tuition Promise students must complete a FAFSA form or Colorado Financial Aid Application by June 1, take at least 12 credit hours of courses, and maintain satisfactory academic progress. This is roughly defined as a 2.0 GPA or higher. Howard said some academic programs may have a higher standard for satisfactory academic progress than 2.0, but generally that will be the standard.
The Tuition Promise was created for several reasons. As an example, UNC heard from various groups of students about why they did not attend UNC at the time of admission, or why they chose to withdraw after attending. Howard said students cited accessibility and affordability to explain their decision.
Accessibility was also a factor behind UNC's creation of the Colorado First-Year Admission Guarantee in 2022. The first-year guarantee offers admission to Colorado residents who have graduated from an in-state high school, have a weighted GPA of 3.0, and meet other criteria. . Howard said the university saw an 83% increase in the number of students enrolled in the first year of the guarantee.
“That’s the accessibility part,” he said. “It's a clear path.”
Another reason for the Tuition Promise initiative is the recognition that 18%, or 1,003, undergraduate students who enrolled in the fall were eligible for financial aid but did not apply for it and therefore did not receive funds. arose from.
The university learned from focus groups that eligible students were confused about the steps they needed to take to receive the money. Confusion can be attributed to college scholarship deadlines, students not updating their FAFSA forms after their first year, and a lack of awareness about student eligibility as internal scholarship eligibility is a separate process. Ta.
Howard said UNC leverages Tuition Promise funding from all available sources to support students with financial need, including Pell Grants, intramural scholarships and founding funds. .
The Tuition Promise is funded by funds that would have been used for UNC's internal scholarships and funds that the university would have received from the federal government as a Pell Grant if the student had applied. .
Pell Grants are typically awarded to undergraduate students with special financial need who have not completed a bachelor's, graduate, or professional degree. Pell grants are not repaid. Howard said 405, or 33%, of the first-year students who enrolled in college last fall were eligible for Pell.
To receive the Pell Grant, students must complete the FAFSA. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the amount of the grant varies based on need, tuition, and student status.
UNC estimates it has the capacity to distribute approximately $5,836 per student as part of the program this fall. Tuition Promise costs vary from year to year based on the financial needs of new students and the number of credit hours earned by eligible students.
UNC plans to evaluate the program in four years to measure its effectiveness. The university will measure the program's impact on retention and graduation rates to assess progress.
UNC is not the only university in Colorado with a tuition commitment program. According to the Colorado Department of Higher Education, 11 of 13 public four-year institutions have some type of institutional commitment program that covers tuition and fees based on certain income standards and student eligibility requirements. are doing.
The private schools University of Colorado and Regis University also have programs.
Colorado School of Mines and CSU Global are the only two public four-year institutions in Colorado that do not have a promised program.
For example, at Colorado Mesa University and CU Boulder, the cap is $65,000, as is UNC. CU also has a Pell eligibility component.
Colorado Mountain College offers two cap levels: $70,000 for dependent students and $50,000 for independent students. Colorado State Fort Collins places a cap on Pell-eligible students and those who demonstrate need through their institutional aid application. Other students who exceed Pell eligibility may be eligible to receive up to half of their tuition and fees.
Angie Paccione, executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, said the Promise program began with a statewide initiative in Tennessee. Within the past 10 years, he has helped more than 30 states implement state-wide pledge programs.
Paccione said the program was introduced in Colorado schools within the past five years. Colorado does not have a statewide pledge program.
Paccione said officials started the program to address affordability issues.
“Most people choose not to pursue a higher education degree because of cost,” she added. “In this case, if you are an in-state, low-income student, we will cover your tuition and fees.”
Paccione said tuition and fees are not necessarily the most expensive part of attending college. Room and board costs are considerable. Transportation and books can also be big-ticket items, Paccione said.
The Tuition Promise Program is not a fee-based program, which includes tuition, books, fees, room and board, and even a laptop. However, offering tuition and fees is sufficient compensation and may be especially beneficial for commuter school students who choose to live at home.
“The value of higher education is under scrutiny,” Paccione said. “That's why it's important for institutions to have a value proposition that tells the community, 'This is why you should come to college.'” This is why you want to earn a degree beyond a bachelor's degree. ”
