New numbers suggest OHIO Signature Awards are making OU more affordable for “targeted” students.
Out-of-state tuition was not a problem for Zoe Holmstrom.
Hailing from St. Joseph, Michigan, her decision to become a Bobcat was assisted by four scholarships she received through the OHIO Signature Awards.
“It's cheaper for me to attend this university as an out-of-state student compared to some of the schools that are in my home state with all of the financial aid I received.”
The OHIO Signature Awards, a set of scholarships that replaced the previous Gateway scholarship program last fall, have been focused on providing aid to local, first-generation and honors students and increasing overall enrollment, whether students come from in state or out of state.
The OHIO Signature Award program is funded with $2.1 million more than the Gateway scholarship.
Holmstrom, who is studying commercial photography, received four of the Signature scholarships.
“The scholarships definitely helped me make my decision to come to OU,” Holmstrom said. “While the scholarships didn't cover all of my tuition, they definitely helped me in paying for my first semester.”
Holmstrom said that the scholarships she received, including the OHIO Trustee Award, a scholarship for out-of-state students, have made college affordable.
“With all of my scholarships, I'm paying an amount similar to in-state tuition even though I am from out of state,” Holmstrom said.
Ohio University has seen an increase in Appalachian and first-generation students after introducing the new scholarship program. In-state Appalachian students receive Signature scholarships through the Appalachian Scholars Program, which is aimed at 29 counties in Ohio.
“We're really trying to target where it makes the most difference for students,” Pam Benoit, executive vice president and provost, said at a presentation for the January Board of Trustees meeting.
Enrollment of Appalachian students increased by around 10 percent and enrollment of first generation students increased by around 19 percent. Enrollment of Honors Tutorial College students saw an increase of 58 percent after new full tuition awards were given last year, Benoit said.
The awards were first introduced to students in Fall 2014.
Craig Cornell, vice provost for Enrollment Management, said the main difference between the OHIO Signature Awards and the Gateway program is that the new program allows for individual analysis of students’ merit and needs.
“It’s a very individualized approach, versus programs in the past where we’ve had generalizations like ‘this ACT and this GPA get you this kind of reward,’ ” Cornell said.
Cornell said this approach allowed Admissions to target certain groups, such as Appalachian and first-generation students, more effectively.
“We’re able to build scholarship programs around individual students,” Cornell said. “It’s a strong combination of merit and need. The money we’re able to redistribute and put into those programs allowed us to be able to see that growth in those particular populations.”
A focus on providing aid and other support services to first-generation students contributed to increased enrollment, Cornell said.
Jake Quick, a freshman studying accounting, is a first generation student who received scholarships from the OHIO Signature Awards program. His scholarships included the OHIO Achievement Scholarship and the four-year $1,000 OHIO Distinction Scholarship, among others.
Despite these scholarships, Quick said that the financial aid didn’t cover his costs very well, despite being a first-generation student.
“They could always give more,” Quick said. “What they did give helped, but we still had to take out a federal loan, so the interest is compounding as we speak. You always wish they could give you more.”
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