Indiana University Indianapolis
PAE-10: Affordability and Access Programs

According to the College Navigator website, 83% of IUPUI’s full-time beginning students in the Fall of 2010 received some type of financial aid in Fall 2010, with 42% of them receiving Pell Grants. 56% of all IUPUI undergraduates received grants or scholarships that term while 54% received federal student loans. As such, IUPUI recognizes the need to provide all the assistance it can in helping students with need overcome perceived and real hurdles in paying for their education.

o As a large institution in a downtown setting with the majority of our students living off-campus, IUPUI recognizes that many of our students may have challenges attending on a full-time basis. Students may need to continue to work while pursuing their studies and/or have family or other commitments that make finding time to go to school challenging. IUPUI offers extremely flexible course scheduling, including teaching seven days a week, short courses, teaching off-campus, and through distance education. o The Office of Student Financial Services offers periodic information and training sessions on the general processes and program availability for representatives of our schools who may learn of student concerns in an academic advising session or visit to their office. One example is the importance of students maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress. o IUPUI has initiated increased focus on financial literacy and making informed financial decisions by establishing a Financial Wellness Committee to identify the initiatives currently in place and identify actions to better serve our students.

IUPUI hosts an Upward Bound program as part of Indiana TRIO.

In 2008, IUPUI established a $2.1 million annual need-based program to help pay college expenses for every eligible incoming freshman who has received a state 21st Century Scholar award or a federal Pell grant. This was the largest such amount in campus-history and recognizes the diminishing purchasing power of federal and state aid. Examples of our need-based scholarships are the IUPUI 21st Century Scholar grant and the IUPUI Pell Pledge grant. IUPUI 21st Century Scholar. This grant is designed to help meet the remaining financial need for 21st Century Scholars who enroll full time at IUPUI. • The State of Indiana’s 21st Century Scholars program was established in 1990 to ensure that every student can afford a college education. Income-eligible 7th and 8th graders who enroll in the program and fulfill a pledge of good citizenship are guaranteed to receive up to four years of undergraduate tuition at any participating public college or university in Indiana. IUPUI Pell Pledge • The grant is designed to supplement the Federal Pell Grant. It is calculated as $7,080 (average annual cost of tuition and general fee at IUPUI) minus fee remissions, scholarships, federal and state grants; with the award range between $100 - $1,000 for the academic year.

IUPUI recognizes that approximately 40% of our beginning freshmen are first-generation students. As a result, both they and their parents need additional information and support in exploring and pursuing higher education. This includes academics and how to pay for college along with housing and student life. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions reaches out to parents through both its Parents Central website but also through off-campus programs and expanded office hours, including Saturday mornings. In addition to its usual community outreach efforts (College Aid nights, etc.) the Office of Student Financial Services offers special sessions at Orientation for the parents of new students.

o IUPUI has a number of offices involved with different aspects of recruiting potential students and supporting them not only through the matriculation process, but throughout their enrollment at the university. These include:  Talent Alliance  Educational Success Program  Assistant Admissions Director for Latino & Hispanic Recruitment  Office of Diversity Access and Achievement  Office of Diversity , Equity & Inclusion  Diversity-related programs at IUPUI (undergraduate, graduate, and professional students)  Multicultural Success Center

o IUPUI recognizes that low-income students often find taking the initial step of applying beyond their reach due to having to pay an application fee. We address this through offering an application fee waiver for qualified students as well as a waiver of the enrollment deposit. o Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program  The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program is aimed at talented students who are motivated to excel in academics, love research and are eager to work closely with faculty mentors on independent research projects to prepare for doctoral studies. Students entering their junior or senior years who qualify as underrepresented, low-income and/or first-generation college students may participate.

o As noted above, IUPUI recognizes that students, especially those who are first-generation and from low-income households, need additional information and support in making the best decisions in terms of how to fund their education. For this reason we have created a number of additional programs and offices to help serve students and their families.  The Office of Student Financial Services offers a number of resources and services, including: • CashCourse to help with personal finances including budgeting • Online tutorials in helping navigate the student’s university account • Student Loan Debt Management to aid students in planning for and manage their loans and repayment  An emergency loan program is available to students with significant need in meeting surprise expenses that arise in their lives that may negatively affect their ability to attend classes.  IU has recently established a university-wide Office of Financial Literacy. This will develop additional programs and resources to help students gain a better understanding of this important area.

o A number of IUPUI schools offer programs targeting low-income students. Examples include:  Summer Research Opportunity Program  Diversity Research Scholar Program o IUPUI understands that even with the various types of scholarships and financial aid we help make available, some students will still find difficulty in funding their education. One approach we have taken is to establish a partnership with Ivy Tech Community College, Indiana’s community college system. This partnership was established over twenty years ago with a goal of providing the greatest possible access to post-secondary education by IUPUI becoming the first public senior institution in the state to accept transfer credit from Ivy Tech. This program has served as a model for the rest of the state’s senior institutions. Beyond expanding access and easing the student’s path to an eventual baccalaureate degree, the partnership also allows students to complete a significant portion of their studies at a lower cost due to the lower tuition rates charged by Ivy Tech. This means that students who need to borrow to pursue their studies can reduce any eventual loan debt they will incur. As part of the agreement, IUPUI and Ivy Tech have collaborated on helping students pursuing their degree at one institution use their aid while taking a course at the other, avoiding a barrier that many students otherwise would face in trying to take classes concurrently at both institutions.