Earlier this month, the university announced a new scholarship program called ETSU Promise Plus. The program is designed to offer financial and academic support to students. It provides “last-dollar” assistance for the scholarship recipients, which means the scholarship will pay for the remaining balance left owed to ETSU after financial aid and other scholarships are applied.
ETSU Promise Plus will be open to first-time freshmen who are enrolled full-time, eligible for the HOPE Scholarship and have the maximum Pell Grant starting in fall 2020. Scholarship recipients will also get to take a first-year experience class, have access to academic and career support and more. Recipients can also receive up to $1,500 annually to go towards on-campus housing for a total up to $6,000.
I think the ETSU Promise Plus is a fantastic idea, and I am glad the university is expanding the scholarships they offer. The last-dollar concept is a great idea because it’s not just a set amount that will be the same for everyone, and it will be catered to each student. The last-dollar amount is also helpful for students to eliminate out of pocket costs because even with scholarships and financial aid, sometimes it still isn’t enough to cover all the costs of tuition and housing.
Although I think this program is definitely a positive thing for the university, I think it’s unfair that this scholarship is restricted to first-time freshmen. From a recruitment standpoint, I can see why they wanted to create this scholarship to attract new students to the school. However, ETSU has thousands of current students who could benefit from an extra scholarship as well.
More scholarships for current students would also help curve the raising fees and tuition costs that have been growing for the past few years. Though it’s a good thing to see ETSU investing more in its future students, the students who are currently attending and paying should also be given similar opportunities.
