Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 68.64
Liaison Kimberly Post
Submission Date Feb. 22, 2022

STARS v2.2

Saint Joseph's College - ME
PA-8: Affordability and Access

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.84 / 4.00 Kimberly Post
Program Director
Leadership Sustainable Communities
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Percentage of need met, on average, for students who were awarded any need-based aid :
82.40

Percentage of students graduating without student loan debt:
28.80

Percentage of entering students that are low-income:
27.40

Graduation/success rate for low-income students:
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A brief description of notable policies or programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students:

House of Mercy Fund. Saint Joseph's College offers need based financial aid to students. Additionally, a new fund, the House of Mercy fund, was created in the fall of 2020 in order to provide funding for low-income and historically underrepresented students to offset college costs or to help cover unexpected life expenses.

Talbot Scholars. a new scholarship program named after Maine civil rights leader Gerald E. Talbot, H ‘21. The Talbot Scholars program will provide access, support, and success to students from historically underserved communities. A reflection of the College’s commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, the program is designed to prepare future leaders in the work of building sustainable communities – in Maine, across the country, and around the world. Launching the program, Saint Joseph’s College President Jim Dlugos said: “We are excited to honor and expand Gerald Talbot’s incredible legacy of justice, right here at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine. This program will not only open doors to learning that have historically been out of reach, but will create new leaders with the skills and spirit to advance what our world sorely needs – community.” The program focuses on outreach to underserved communities with college-readiness programming provided not only to students, but also to their families and other influencers. Special, no-loan financial aid opportunities are offered to qualified students. Once on campus, Talbot Scholars are supported by bridge programming designed to facilitate the transition from high school or work to the College. Experienced academic counselors and advisors help navigate the challenges and opportunities typically encountered by first-generation and underrepresented college students. The program’s goals include a higher graduation rate for Talbot Scholars than their peers across American higher education, as well as a job in a field of their choice (or graduate or professional school) within six months of graduation. These and other key goals are Mentoring and leadership programs that provide career and life coaching from qualified community members and employer partners will support these goals.


A brief description of notable policies or programs to support non-traditional students:

Online Offerings. Saint Joseph's College offers online courses, allowing a better fit for the time/schedule of non-traditional students. The purpose of the online program is to increase educational accessibility for non-traditional students. The program has operated since the 1970s and continues to ensure that students in any geographic location are able to pursue degrees and certificates in the fields of nursing, education, theology, and business.

GFSTM. For the on-campus program, the "Growing Future STEM Teachers in Maine" (GFSTM) Noyce Scholarship provides a pathway for current Saint Joseph's College students entering their third year as well as transfer students interested in becoming STEM teachers to receive a full-tuition scholarship for their final two years of college as well as coaching and workshops. Beginning in academic year 2021-2022, there are be multiple non-traditional students taking advantage of this program.


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:
85

Website URL where information about the institution’s accessibility and affordability initiatives is available:
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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.