| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 62.11 |
| Liaison | Natalie Sobrinski |
| Submission Date | June 16, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Muhlenberg College
PA-8: Affordability and Access
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.41 / 4.00 |
Greg
Mitton Director of Financial Aid Admissions |
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Does the institution have policies and programs in place to make it accessible and affordable to low-income students?:
Yes
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A brief description of any policies and programs to minimize the cost of attendance for low-income students:
Muhlenberg does have policies in place to make tuition affordable for traditional low-income students. Although we do not have policies specifically geared towards low-income students, our financial aid policy is set up in such a way that tuition is affordable for everyone. We also try not to “gap” our students, meaning we create financial aid packages that meet students’ full financial needs. Additionally, we also do not include the parents’ loan as part of a student’s financial aid package. Even though these are not official policies, we do take these actions.
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A brief description of any programs to equip the institution’s faculty and staff to better serve students from low-income backgrounds:
We have a program titled “Emerging Leaders”, where the details were mentioned earlier in PA 6. To be an Emerging Leader, a student has to fit a certain number/degree of criteria, one of them being having a low-income background. Yet, a student does not necessarily have to come from a low-income background to be a member of the group, but that factor is taken heavily into consideration.
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A brief description of any programs to prepare students from low-income backgrounds for higher education:
A program is in place involving 25 or more students from low-income backgrounds. These students were given a guide for success at college, as well as follow ups to any questions they may have. A complete list of the resources available to them here at Muhlenberg was also given to allow a full view of their opportunities here at the college.
Programs to guide parents for low-income students through the higher education
3 days before regular student orientation a special orientation is set up specific for low-income background students. These students are encouraged to come with their parents for a pre-orientation that is voluntary to receive a private guide to the resources available to them at the college. Parents also receive brochures to let them know the opportunities available for them and their kids at the college. If we’re invited to be a guest speaker or hold a workshop by a low-income school, we’ll do it.
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A brief description of the institution's scholarships for low-income students:
Though we do not have scholarships specifically for low-income students, our scholarship awards are merit-based and apply to all students regardless of their income background. So yes, low-income students would be eligible for our scholarships.
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A brief description of any programs to guide parents of low-income students through the higher education experience:
We currently do not have a program like this, but we could look into it sometime in the future.
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A brief description of any targeted outreach to recruit students from low-income backgrounds:
Part of our recruitment policy is that we got to high schools that consist of students who come from low-income.
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A brief description of other admissions policies or programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students:
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A brief description of other financial aid policies or programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students:
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None
A brief description of other policies and programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students not covered above:
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Does the institution have policies and programs in place to support non-traditional students?:
Yes
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A brief description of any scholarships provided specifically for part-time students:
Scholarships are available for part-time students. For a complete list of scholarships geared towards non-traditional students, please see the attached document labeled “PA 8 - Continuing Education”, or follow the links below:
o http://www.muhlenberg.edu/pdf/main/aboutus/finaid/wescoe/WescoeScholarship.pdf
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A brief description of any onsite child care facilities, partnerships with local facilities, and/or subsidies or financial support to help meet the child care needs of students:
We currently do not have a program like this, but we could look into it sometime in the future.
None
A brief description of other policies and programs to support non-traditional students:
Muhlenberg offers need-based financial aid to non-traditional students.
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Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (accessibility and affordability indicators)?:
Yes
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Indicators that the institution is accessible and affordable to low-income students::
| Percentage (0-100) | |
| The percentage of entering students that are low-income | 13.10 |
| The graduation/success rate for low-income students | 89 |
| The percentage of student financial need met, on average | 93 |
| The percentage of students graduating with no interest-bearing student loan debt | 46 |
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The percentage of students that participate in or directly benefit from the institution’s policies and programs to support low-income and non-traditional students:
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The website URL where information about the institution's affordability and access programs is available:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
• To determine the data on low-income students, we calculated students who received Pell Grants as coming from low-income backgrounds. This data can be found in the attached document titled “PA 8 Graduation Rates of Pell Grant Students”.
• To calculate the percentage of students entering that are low-income, we took the number of students that received Pell Grants in the 2014-2015 school year and divided by the 2018 freshmen class. (64/594)
• Cindy Amaya Santiago, Senior Associate Director of Admission and Coordinator of Multicultural Recruitment, csantiago@muhlenberg.edu, 484-664-3245 (info on traditional students)
• Kim Myerson, Wescoe School's Financial Aid Administrator, kmyerson@muhlenberg.edu, 484-664-3164 (info on non-traditional students)
• Greg Mitton, Director of Financial Aid, Associate Dean of Admissions, mitton@muhlenberg.edu (data on low-income students)
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.