Tech to offer scholarships to low-income students
The program, named the Virginia Tech Presidential Scholarship Initiative, is targeted at students who are eligible for the Pell Grant. Named for Senator Claiborne Pell, the Pell Grant is a federal grant to low income students sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. Eligibility for the grant is used by many programs across the country as a proxy for eligibility in their scholarship programs.
According to an official Virginia Tech press release, the purpose of the scholarship is to "reward and assist academically talented, low-income high school students from Virginia who demonstrate persistence and a commitment to academic excellence despite adverse life situations."
To be eligible for the scholarship, students must graduate from a state high school, be a resident of Virginia, be a United States citizen, demonstrate an exemplary academic record and display evidence of leadership potential. Also taken into consideration is whether or not the candidate would be a first generation college enrollee.
"This will go to the neediest of the needy," said Barry Simmons, director of scholarships and financial aid. "We are trying to expand our reach to low-income groups."
Tech has plans to award 50 of the new scholarships, which will cover tuition, fees, room and board. The scholarship will be renewable, provided that the student maintains at least a 3.0 QCA. If tuition were to remain unchanged, the scholarship would be worth around $55,000 per recipient.
Eventually the scholarship should support 200 of the roughly 30,000 students on campus. At the current tuition rates, these 200 scholarships would cost the university more than 2.5 million dollars per year.
According the office of scholarships and financial aid, the goal of the scholarship is more than supporting low-income students. It is also encouraging low-income students to apply to Tech. With a greater applicant pool, more students with diverse backgrounds and perspectives will have the chance to study at Virginia Tech.
"In recent years, we have been declining in Pell Grant recipients," said Simmons.
Simmons explained that many needy high school students simply assume that they will not be able to afford college or will not be able to gain acceptance. This program is designed to increase applications among those groups of students. "In 2007-2008, however, Pell Grant participation has picked up."
In addition to financial aid, this program seeks to help counsel students and families with regards to issues relating to college.
"One of the cornerstones of the program will be enrichment from Center for Academic Enrichment and Excellence," said Simmons. "Being first generation, parents don't necessarily know what is going on." The goal is to teach the parents what is going on with their students at college.
This is not the first time Virginia Tech has targeted scholarship programs at low-income students. Two years ago, Funds for the Future was created with low and middle-income families in mind. "We needed to go a little bit further than that," said Simmons. "As far as affordability goes, Tech cares about you."
The program will also be regularly evaluated. "After we look at how the full complement is doing, we will maybe try to increase the cohorts," said Simmons. "Some of that depends on funding as well as success of the program."
The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid will also look at qualitatively what the students are doing on campus and ask questions such as how it has affected the student and his or her family.
Virginia Tech is not the first university to have such a scholarship program. The University of Virginia and the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill also have similar programs. Both of those programs cover 100% of student need. The Virginia Tech program does not.
"It just gets so expensive," said Simmons. "Our student body is much different. About 25 percent of UVa students have financial need, and we have 42 percent. We have to spread our money out over more students."
