Thursday, November 6, 2008

Free College for Kids in Indiana?

I'm admitting right now that sometimes I'm horrible about reading paperwork from the school. Having said that - I found one document of interest today when cleaning up my desk. It's the Indiana 21st Century Scholars program. Read more about it here. This might be old news to some of you Indiana residents, but I'm new!!! And I think that this program sounds awesome!

Income-eligible 6th, 7th and 8th graders who enroll in the program and fulfill a pledge of good citizenship to the state are guaranteed the cost of four years of undergraduate college tuition at any participating public college or university in Indiana. If the student attends a private institution, the state will award an amount comparable to that of a public institution. If the student attends a participating proprietary school, the state will award a tuition scholarship equal to that of Ivy Tech Community College.

An interesting point I saw was that if your income changes - say you start earning more money - your child will still be eligible based on the income you had when you applied. You can apply ONLINE, which I love. Your student just has to take a pledge... no worries, since most of the pledge consists of things I already require of my children!!

Twenty-first Century Scholars Pledge

  • I will graduate with an Indiana High School Diploma from a charter school, freeway or other Indiana school recognized by the Indiana Department of Education.
  • I will achieve a cumulative high school GPA of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.
  • I will not use illegal drugs or alcohol, or commit a crime.
  • I will apply for admission to an eligible Indiana college, university or proprietary school as a high school senior.
  • I will apply on time for state and federal financial aid.

I understand that I must be an Indiana resident (as determined by the permanent residence of my parent or legal guardian), a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen. Enroll as a full-time student at an eligible Indiana college or proprietary institution and meet all other financial aid requirements at the institution I attend. Students must also file an error free FAFSA.

2 comments:

Sonia said...

I signed my son up, he's in the 7th grade

NW Indiana Deals said...

Wow! I wish I had known about this when my son was in Jr High...
:-(
I will let my friends know for sure!