Cleveland State University
PA-7: Affordability and Access

The KeyBank Scholars Program at Cleveland State University has been implemented to support Cleveland Metropolitan School District graduates who are enrolled at the university, with the purpose of increasing the students’ retention and on-time completion rates. The KeyBank Scholars Program consists of a series of resources and programs designed to promote the development of academic, organizational, and interpersonal skills. The KeyBank Scholars Program promotes a sense of community for the CMSD graduates by creating social and cultural programming opportunities. KeyBank Scholars will have the opportunity to engage early on in their college careers by participating in a six week Summer Enrichment Transition Program (STEP), where they could earn up to 7 college credits, and qualify for a book scholarship. In addition to getting a jump start on earning college credits, the KeyBank Scholars Program participants have early access to a network of students, faculty and staff. Participants receive year round advising and guidance to ensure that they are on track for graduation and have the necessary tools to be successful in the classroom and the workplace. CSU offers an Adjusted Tuition Band which allows students take up to six three-credit hour courses per semester at the same cost as four courses.

New faculty orientations are designed to help faculty understand the student population we serve and gain an understanding of the many academic support and early alert services we offer. Pedagogical workshops designed to best work with under-resourced student populations are scheduled for both faculty and staff throughout the semester. Membership in the Higher Education Compact of Cleveland, a collaborative impact initiative organized by the Mayor, offers various symposiums and continuing education opportunities for all CSU constituents, and focuses on students coming from high poverty areas of Cleveland. The University also offers a seminar titled: Freshmen Culture Shock: From High School to a University Campus. The goals of this seminar is to understand the difficulty many first generation low income students have in navigating the new university culture, and to consider teaching and advising strategies to assist these student in transition to university life.

TRIO Student Support Services: Trio supports over 500 low-income students with specialized advising services, success coaching, tutoring and financial literacy programming.

- Cleveland State University has been awarded a $50,000 pilot grant from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities to create the Last Mile program. The program will provide financial assistance to help meet the cost of tuition/fees. The scholarship is focused on undergraduate students who have exhausted their financial aid and are one to two semesters from graduating. - Fueled by the University’s commitment to increasing educational opportunities in the Central Promise Neighborhood, the Office of Civic Engagement collaborated with the community to created the Central Neighborhood Scholarship. Two full ride scholarships, including four years of tuition, are offered to two deserving graduating high school seniors that reside in the Central neighborhood of Cleveland. - The Sullivan-Deckard Scholars Opportunity Program provides support for highly motivated youth who are aging out of foster care to pursue an undergraduate degree at Cleveland State with the program paying the full cost of attendance including tuition, books, fees, and housing. The program offers the benefits of an education at Cleveland State University with a system of support that is customized and structured to meet the academic, social and financial needs of those aging out of foster care. The goal is to help students make a smooth transition to independent living, and ultimately earn a Bachelor’s Degree.

CSU's Office of Admissions holds an annual recruitment and college prep event for high achieving Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) students and their families. Two students are selected from each of the 27 CMSD high schools to participate in this day long program. The sessions include information on preparing for college and offers information on CSU's services to low-income students.

To keep students enrolled and ensure that they graduate on time, CSU offers multiple ways to stay on track toward graduation and possibly graduate earlier than the typical four-year program. This includes allowing students to register for classes for an entire academic year as opposed to a single semester and lowering the required credit hours for some programs to 120, which allows the possibility for students to graduate early. Cleveland State offers payment plans as an optional arrangement to make current semester tuition payments more affordable by spreading payments over a number of months. The Adjusted Tuition Band initiative lets students take up to six three-credit hour courses per semester at the same cost as four courses. CSU ranks second best among public universities in Ohio for average student debt per borrower, according to LendEDU.com, which helps students with loans and personal finance. The average CSU graduate’s debt is $1,828 below the state average of both public and private institutions.

The "Crossing the Finish Line" Returning Adult Endowed Scholarship Applicants must be non-traditional students, meaning they must no have completed a bachelor's degree within eight (8) years of graduating from high school. Applicants must submit an essay response on the following prompt, limited to 500 words: "Describe any challenges you may have overcome either prior to or while earning a University degree, and what do you plan to accomplish with your degree?" Ruth Ann Moyer Scholarship Amount: $9,448 Full In-State Tuition Criteria: Applicants must be an Ohio resident and non-traditional (at least twenty-five years of age) student. Jerome S. Karaffa Prize Presented annually to a non-traditional aged Levin College undergraduate student who has demonstrated a keen interest in, and commitment to urban preservation and who has achieved high academic ranking.

Campus International School (CIS) is the only authorized International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. It prepares students for international citizenship with a rigorous and comprehensive IB, global curriculum. Situated on CSU’s campus, the school provides students with easy access to city and campus events, programs, and cultural opportunities, including Mandarin instruction beginning in Kindergarten. 20% of the CIS enrollment must be CSU affiliates (children of faculty, staff and students).

- Ruth Ann Moyer Scholarship offers two students full in state tuition, applicants must be non-traditional, (over the age of 25) the scholarship is also renewable for total possible award amount of $37,792. - Community College Transfer Award, Level 1 is a $1,500 scholarship, applicants must be a transfer from 2-year or community college. The scholarship is also renewable for total possible award amount of $6,000. - Community College Transfer Award, Level 2 is a $1,000 scholarship, applicants must be a transfer from 2-year or community college. The scholarship is also renewable for total possible award amount of $4,000.