SRU recently became a preferred college partner to the Pittsburgh Promise scholarship, which benefits recipients (incoming students) pursuing secondary education.
Recent changes to the Promise have reduced the yearly aid from $10,500 to $7,500, primarily because the Promise now only covers tuition and fees – not room and board.
“The Pittsburgh Promise has reached out to regional institutions of higher education to see if these institutions will offer a room and board scholarship,” Alyssa Dobson, director of financial aid and scholarships said.
Dobson said that in the past it was much simpler for a Promise recipient to attend an institution of higher education without having to worry about additional costs.
“It has always been a last dollar scholarship, meaning we must apply for all other scholarships first,” Dobson said. “Before when it covered tuition, fees and room and board more would qualify. Now, some may not qualify for the Promise at all because our costs are so low.”
Dobson said this is a major step that will be beneficial and in some cases necessary assistance for students, allowing them to stay at the university.
“Our students who are recipients of the Promise actually retain slightly better than our students overall,” Dobson said.
One area that will be improved for Pittsburgh Public School students attending SRU is the declining influx of said students. In the 2015-2016 school year, SRU saw this number of students reach 136. This number has been consistently climbing prior to that year but has dropped to 119 as of the university’s most recent school year. Dobson said that this recent partnership will hopefully see this number increase, with more students being inclined to apply for the scholarship.
Starting in 2018 the scholarship of $2,000 will be implemented for recipients who will apply and plan to live on campus.
