SEMO will pay tuition, general fees for low-income, academically qualified Mo. freshmen beginning in 2020

A new scholarship program at Southeast Missouri State University will enable qualified low-income Missouri students to pursue a college education tuition-free.

In announcing the new Will To Do Award scholarship Tuesday, university administrators said approximately 900 eligible members of Southeast’s freshman class will qualify for the “$0 tuition and general fees” program when it becomes available in the fall of 2020.

Southeast president Carlos Vargas-Aburto said the new scholarship underscores Southeast’s commitment to providing financial support to students who need it most.

“We are embracing this new initiative to make higher education not only a dream, but a reality for every student in Missouri who hopes for a brighter future,” he said.

Although he did not say how much the university is investing in the new scholarship program, Vargas indicated it is being funded through a “reallocation of resources” within the university’s overall financial aid program.

In addition to eliminating tuition and general fee expenses for qualifying students, Vargas said the new program is expected to help Southeast increase its student retention and graduation rates.

“In 2015, Southeast established an aspirational goal to retain at least 80% of our first-time, full-time freshmen and to graduate 60% of these students,” Vargas said and noted financially-challenged students are at the greatest risk of dropping out of school before they earn a degree.

Last year, the university introduced the Copper Dome Scholarship program, which has helped increase the percentage of Southeast students receiving financial assistance from 30% to 70%. The Will To Do Award is a component of the Copper Dome Scholarship program.

“Although it’s not yet official, we are optimistic that Southeast will have reached a new goal in the retention of first-year students this fall,” Vargas reported. “As of the beginning of this semester, 75.8% of our full-time students have re-enrolled.” The official retention rate won’t be available until mid-September, he said.

“It is incumbent upon us to offer financial assistance to our students who need it the most,” he said. “At the same time, it is also our responsibility to align our efforts to support national college completion goals as well as those established right here in Missouri.”

The Southeast president explained Missouri has set a goal of increasing the percentage of Missourians with a postsecondary degree to 60% by 2025. According to the Missouri Department of Higher Education, 39.9% of working-age Missourians had an associate degree or higher in 2017 and just 19.6% had a bachelor’s degree, ranking the state 27th among the nation’s other 49 states.

To qualify for a Will To Do Award, a student must be eligible for a federal Pell Grant, must be a Missouri resident, have a minimum of a 2.75 cumulative high school grade-point average, and be enrolled as a full-time Southeast student. The award can be renewed during a student’s undergraduate years at Southeast as long as the student maintains a 2.75 cumulative GPA, enrolls in at least 24 credit hours each academic year and meets all deadline and eligibility requirements. More information is available on the university’s website, www.semo.edu.

Vargas said about 78% of the university’s freshmen are Missouri residents and of those students, 43% qualify for a Pell Grant. Pell eligibility can vary.

“Students whose total family income is $50,000 or less qualify, but most Pell Grant money goes to students with a total family income below $20,000,” he said.

“Southeast wants to break down as many barriers as possible students face in obtaining a college degree,” said Matthew Kearney, director of student financial services at Southeast. “The Will to Do Award will break down the financial barrier by paying any amount of tuition and general fees not already covered by federal, state and institutional grants and scholarships. That’s ‘zero dollars’ paid out of pocket or with student loans for tuition and general fees to eligible Pell students.”

Kearney estimated “for the fall 2020 incoming class, we expect to have over 900 beginning freshmen applicants who will meet the criteria for the Will To Do Award. Many of these students will be the first in their family to go to college.”

Southeast Student Government president Matthew Rolwing, a senior corporate communications major from East Prairie, Missouri, said he had to have a full-time job as well as a part-time job to help pay his Southeast tuition.

“Coming to college was a big struggle for me because of the cost, coming from a low-income family and from someplace where not a whole lot of people go to college,” he said. “This award is going to be very beneficial for our future students.”

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