Marquette University
PA-8: Affordability and Access

Marquette provides several opportunities to minimize the cost of attendance not only for low-income students, but for all students. Close to 90 percent of all Marquette students utilize some form of financial aid. Such opportunities come in the form of scholarships, grants, loans and employment opportunities. Many of these are in the form of need-based aid.

Please see the following site for grants:
http://www.marquette.edu/mucentral/financialaid/ugrad_grants_index.shtml

Please see the following sites for scholarship opportunities:
http://www.marquette.edu/mucentral/financialaid/ugrad_scholarships_index.shtml
http://www.marquette.edu/explore/scholarships.shtml

Please see the following site for federal work study and student employment information:
http://www.marquette.edu/mucentral/financialaid/ugrad_employment_opps.shtml

Please see the following site for an overview of Marquette’s financial aid services:
http://www.marquette.edu/mucentral/financialaid/

Notable policies or programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students.

The Office of Admissions (UA) offers very intentional programming to help make a Marquette education accessible to students. A concerted effort is given to providing programming for low-income students, although this information is not known prior to students applying for financial aid. UA does proactively create programming and recruit for scholarships for students who are first-generation and/or students of color. A few of these efforts are detailed below:

On-campus visit opportunities:

Prior to COVID, UA hosted nearly 2,000 visitors through our group visit program. The group visit program generally supports pre-college, CBO (AVID, Boys & Girls Club), and/or first-generation high school programs with visiting and touring Marquette’s campus.

UA hosts two free summer institute opportunities for first-generation high school students—Summer Leadership Institute and Cristo Rey Leadership Institute. Currently, both are being hosted virtually, but will return to in-person visit opportunities in 2022.

Additionally, each year UA hosts a fly-in program for low-income, first-generation college students, formerly called “First Families” and now referred to as Spring Diversity and Inclusion Weekend. Prior to COVID when hosted in-person, UA subsidized the travel costs to visit campus for approximately 30-40 students and a parent or guardian. This programming was a tremendous way to make Marquette accessible and impact students’ college decision process. This programming will continue in 2022 but may entail an adjusted format.

Off-campus recruitment opportunities:

Chicago Scholars is a Chicagoland CBO aimed at supporting students from under-resourced communities. Marquette has partnered with this organization for over a decade to assist with recruiting and providing access to students from Chicago.

UA hosts onsite admissions events locally in collaboration with MPS and select feeder schools to recruit primarily first-generation college students and assist them through the Marquette application process. We also utilize these events to promote the EOP application process.

UA also conducts joint recruitment locally with EOP for the Educational Opportunity Program.

Scholarship program opportunities:

This past year was the first year of the expanded Urban Scholars program (aimed at first-generation, Milwaukee-area students with demonstrated need). UA conducted joint recruitment information sessions with the program to assist students through the application process. UA also participated in the virtual interview process for the cohort.

UA also recruits applicants for the Opus Scholars program (aimed at first-generation, low-income, Engineering students) and the Herdrich Scholarship program (aimed at first-generation Engineering students with need).

Additionally, UA collaborates closely with All-In Milwaukee to recruit students for a Marquette-specific Nursing scholarship, which is funded by a shared donor. The All-In Marquette Nursing scholarship is specific to first-generation and/or students of color with need and also provides wrap-around advising services.

Notable policies or programs to support non-traditional students.

The Office of Admissions has a dedicated team of Transfer admission counselors, who work closely with non-traditional students as they apply to Marquette and evaluate their credit transferability as well as the affordability of the institution. One Transfer Team member specifically works to build transfer agreements and articulation agreements with other institutions so that students transparently understand their route to Marquette. Another Transfer Team member advises students, potentially while still in high school, through enrollment at Marquette to transparently assist with establishing a timeline for their Marquette education.

Below are a few of the initiatives the team works on:

Marquette offered a guaranteed transfer agreement for students during the pandemic that held their scholarship offer as an incoming student for 1 year to help them more seamlessly transfer to Marquette.

UA established a close working relationship with Arrupe College, which is a Chicagoland area 2-year college that serves primarily first-generation college students. UA now offers 2 full tuition and 1 half-tuition scholarships to Arrupe College transfer students each fall.

UA established a close working relationship with the STAR Scholar’s program within the City Colleges of Chicago, as well as a promotes a scholarship for STAR Scholar transfer students.

UA worked with the Registrar to create a policy that reduces the total credits required in residence at Marquette to 45 from 60, which is much more transfer friendly and affordable for students with prior credits.

Undergraduate Admissions Transfer Resources (including scholarship): https://www.marquette.edu/explore/transfer-students.php

Undergraduate Admissions Freshman Resources (including scholarship): https://www.marquette.edu/explore/