Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 68.96
Liaison Olivia Herron
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Miami University
PA-7: Affordability and Access

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.96 / 4.00 Susan Meikle
University News writer and editor
University Communications
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have policies and programs to make it accessible and affordable to low-income students?:
Yes

A brief description of any policies and programs to minimize the cost of attendance for low-income students:

Miami Access Fellows is a grants and scholarships program for Ohio residents designed to help make Miami University accessible to new first-year academically competitive students who have a total family income that is equal to or less than $35,000.

To fund this program, we add together an Access Scholar's federal and state grant funds with University grant and/or scholarship funds to meet the cost of tuition and academic fees.
http://miamioh.edu/onestop/your-money/finaid/aid-types/scholarships/miami-access-fellows/


A brief description of any programs to equip the institution’s faculty and staff to better serve students from low-income backgrounds:

The Made@Miami program connects Miami faculty and staff, who serve as informal mentors, with students from the Miami Access Fellows program (for low-income students) and other diverse students. The faculty and staff mentorship program last the entire academic year. The Access Fellows Council is a great way to become involved in changing the culture for low-income and working-class students at Miami University. The Council collaborates with the Access Fellows program coordinator, to regularly hold social events and host programs that can benefit other Access Fellows.


A brief description of the institution’s programs to guide and prepare students and families from low-income backgrounds for higher education:

Miami Access Fellows are provided with: housing and meal ticket fee waivers for the Access student and a family member at Miami's Summer Orientation.
Option to participate in Miami's MADE@Miami program, designed to help new students navigate the university while building a diverse network of friends and mentors.
Special workshops related to such topics as career development and financial management.


A brief description of the institution's scholarships for low-income students:

The Miami Access Fellows covers tuition and academic fees totaling $13,156 per year. Academically competitive Ohio residents entering the Miami University Oxford campus as first-time, full-time freshmen in the fall semester are eligible. The costs for room, board, books, travel, and personal expenses are not included in the guarantee, but as mentioned above, may be covered by other funding sources. Also, students who are eligible for the Miami Access Initiative program could still use federally guaranteed student loans, Federal-Work Study, and other private loans for these costs.


A brief description of the institution’s targeted outreach to recruit students from low-income backgrounds:

Miami University is proud to present the Bridges Program, an overnight visit experience for high-achieving high school seniors from historically underrepresented populations or who have a commitment to promoting a deeper understanding of and appreciation for diversity. Students representing different ethnic/racial, sexual orientation and gender identity, and socioeconomic backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Students who complete the Bridges Program, apply, are accepted, and enroll on the Oxford campus for Fall 2019 will be eligible to receive the Bridges Program scholarship. Last year, the Bridges Program scholarship ranged from $2,500 to $5,000. The Bridges Program scholarship is renewable for four years and is stackable with other scholarships for which a student may be eligible.
http://miamioh.edu/admission/high-school/bridges/index.html


A brief description of the institution’s other policies or programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students:

TEACH Grant:
The Federal Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant awards up to $4,000 per year to students who serve as a full-time teacher in a high-need field in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves low-income students.

A TEACH Grant recipient must teach for at least four academic years within eight calendar years of completing the program of study for which the TEACH Grant was received.

Students may be either an undergraduate or graduate enrolled full or part-time. Award amounts are proportionally reduced as enrollment level lessons.

https://miamioh.edu/onestop/your-money/finaid/aid-types/grants/teach-grant/index.html


Does the institution have policies and programs to support non-traditional students?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s scholarships provided specifically for part-time students:

None for part-time students on the Oxford campus (they are available for PT students on Miami's Regional campuses).


A brief description of the institution’s on-site child care facility, partnership with a local facility, and/or subsidies or financial support to help meet the child care needs of students:

Miami has an onsite child care facility for ages 6 weeks-12 years: The Miami University Child Development Center, run by Mini University.


A brief description of the institution’s other policies and programs to support non-traditional students:

Miami is part of the Yellow Ribbon Program, which offers scholarships for tuition and fees for Veterans above their GI Bill entitlement.

Miami has been named a Military Friendly School by G.I. Jobs for its academic credit for military service, flexibility for military students and veteran graduation rates.

Miami University’s Office of Liberal Education now offers the opportunity for Student Veterans to complete a Prior Learning Assessment Portfolio toward waiving specific Global Miami Plan requirements.

If you were deployed overseas and believe that your time abroad contributed to a deepening of your understanding of your own culture as well as the cultures of people with whom you interacted, you may qualify for the portfolio option. So too, if you underwent extensive training or spent extended time in a new culture, you may qualify.
Even if you did not serve abroad, if you were involved in humanitarian or community service in the United States, you may be able to petition for successful completion of the Global Miami Plan Experiential Learning requirement.


Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (tracking accessibility and affordability)? (If data is not available, select 'No'):
Yes

The percentage of entering students that are low-income (0-100):
13

The graduation/success rate for low-income students (0-100):
68

On average, the percentage of need that was met for students who were awarded any need-based aid (e.g. as reported to the U.S. Common Data Set initiative, item H2) (0-100):
64.40

The percentage of students graduating with no interest-bearing student loan debt or for whom no out-of-pocket tuition is required (i.e. the percentage of graduates who have not taken out interest-bearing loans) (0-100):
51

Estimated percentage of students that participate in or directly benefit from the institution’s policies and programs to support low-income and non-traditional students (0-100):
13

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.