University of Puget Sound
PAE-10: Affordability and Access Programs

The Office of Admission engages TRIO programs within the State of Washington and nationally. Using a new Enrollment System, we document and use contacts in our system for these organizations and establish effective formal communications and visits. We participate in and initiate outreach to TRIO and similar programs that serve low-income communities. These programs often take the form of application advice, essay writing, and/or financial aid workshops.

Puget Sound’s commitment to helping ensure access to education is evidenced by the significant financial resources we devote to our financial aid programs. The majority of institutional financial aid helps satisfy the demonstrated financial need of our students. We have specific programs in place designed to help ensure our ability to enroll and retain an ethnically and socially diverse student body.

Puget Sound’s Chief Diversity Officer works with the community to provide this level faculty and staff enrichment and development. Puget Sound also has sponsored the two national Race and Pedagogy conferences (in 2006 and 2010) focused on bringing together scholars, staff, and students to discuss and address education and diversity. Puget Sound also has multiple functional committees that provide conversation and insight around issues of diversity

Our admission process focuses on whether or not a student is prepared academically for Puget Sound, and we strive to admit students who are prepared. We have programs outside of the admission office to help prepare students from lower income backgrounds for higher education. The Office of Admission participates in educational outreach opportunities, such as financial aid workshops, essay writing seminars, and mock applications reviews serving low income communities.

The institution has consistently met a high proportion of need for students who display financial need via the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Additionally, Puget Sound offers the “Opportunity Grant” program to low-income and first-generation students, which is on top of merit and our general need-based aid offerings. Puget Sound also provides named scholarships for low-income students through generous alumni gifts. These grants are maintained by the student throughout their enrollment and require only that the student continues to demonstrate need and maintains satisfactory academic progress. The majority of all endowment and gift scholarships offered through Puget Sound preferences students with demonstrated need. A number of our endowed and gift scholarships is designated by donor intention to support students from under-represented populations.

The Office of Admission provides a highly personalized admission experience to all prospective students. Through this experience we work closely with all students and their families to offer the best, most accurate advice possible, including relevant advice for low income students and parents.

All members of the Office of Admission staff are responsible for recruiting students who will contribute to diversity at Puget Sound. Counselors factor in visits to programs and schools that serve low-income communities in both rural and urban settings. We also open our campus to visits from programs serving these types of students and often will help defray costs by providing lunch and assisting with transportation. For some admitted students from low-income backgrounds who have not visited, Puget Sound will fund their campus visit. Every three years the Office of Admission hosts and funds with the Puyallup Tribe College Horizons, a national program for Native American high school students. We participate annually with this program on some other college campuses.

Puget Sound devotes significant resources to its institutional aid programs. We reward academic excellence through our merit aid programs and musical and artistic talent through special departmental awards. Significant resources are devoted to support students with demonstrated financial need. All programs are renewable throughout a student’s enrollment provided that academic performance and need levels are maintained.