WKU Announces Assistance Plan For High Need Students

January 26, 2007

Bowling Green, Ky. - Officials at Western Kentucky University today announced a financial aid plan to assist students from low-income families.

Beginning in the fall of 2007, the TOP It Off program will cover the shortfall between the cost of attending WKU and federal, state, institutional and private aid for qualifying students. The objective is to make attending college more feasible for high-need Kentuckians.

TOP It Off will be available for first-time, full-time freshmen who have earned a 2.5 grade point average in high school and scored at least a 20 on their ACT. The priority filing deadline for financial aid is April 1.

“This program will make WKU further accessible for Kentuckians who otherwise might not be able to attend college,” said WKU President Gary Ransdell. “We want to remove what has been a significant obstacle for students who either don’t embark on the path to earning a degree, or are forced to withdraw a year or two into the process because of financial pressures.”

Preliminary estimates indicate that for the fall 2007 semester, 120 students will meet the defined criteria for the program at an annual cost of $320,000. Over a four-year period, about 500 students would benefit from the program at a cost of $1.5 million.

Qualifying students would be eligible to receive TOP It Off funds for eight semesters in a five-year period. Money provided could cover the cost of tuition, fees, room and board.

As part of the program, students will be expected to engage in community service activities and attend mandatory advising sessions.

“WKU’s new program is part of a national trend in higher education to increase accessibility and affordability,” said Cindy Burnette, financial aid director. “We put this program together promptly in order to work with the Council on Postsecondary Education to address the need for more need-based aid programs.”

In addition to the TOP It Off plan, WKU will continue to re-evaluate its use of about $200,000 annually in general scholarship endowment funds through the College Heights Foundation to target deserving students with high academic achievement and financial need, Burnette said.

More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.