| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 53.11 |
| Liaison | Elizabeth Malcolm |
| Submission Date | Jan. 19, 2023 |
Virginia Wesleyan University
PA-8: Affordability and Access
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.12 / 4.00 |
Elizabeth
Malcolm Director of Sustainability Earth and Environmental Sciences |
Percentage of need met, on average, for students who were awarded any need-based aid :
Percentage of students graduating without student loan debt:
Percentage of entering students that are low-income:
Graduation/success rate for low-income students:
A brief description of notable policies or programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students:
Virginia Wesleyan believes that no student should be denied the opportunity to attend because of limited financial resources. Five years ago, the University took three action steps to limit student loan debt. We (1) froze tuition and have continued that freeze since 2017, (2) increased the Annual Scholarship Funds for academic merit by $240,000, and (3) started a new "Work and Learn" fund for students who would stay on campus during breaks and work off debt.
Virginia Wesleyan University’s Work and Learn Program (WLP) is dedicated to providing students with meaningful work opportunities that allow them to better engage with the Virginia Wesleyan University community. Students will develop the necessary skills and experiences to be competitive in today’s job market. The program also gives students the opportunity to actively contribute towards the cost of their education. This mission is supported by:
- Creating opportunities that provide VWU with operational staffing and students with opportunities for tuition cost reduction.
- Strengthening students’ character development, skills, experience, and community involvement.
- Providing effective, high-quality feedback to guide students and develop their professional skills.
A brief description of notable policies or programs to support non-traditional students:
The Evening and Weekend Program at Virginia Wesleyan is designed specifically to meet the needs of busy adults whose work, family, community, or military commitments require flexible scheduling. This program allows students to take both face-to-face and online asynchronous courses. The Adult Incentive Grant is automatically built into the tuition rate for all Evening and Weekend students, which results in a tuition discount of nearly 75%. The Corporate Rate Program allows students who work for employers that offer tuition reimbursement benefits to be eligible to receive a 10% tuition reduction.
VWU provides support for veterans who wish to enroll in our undergraduate and graduate programs. This includes a Veterans Service Team, that serve as a primary point of contact if veterans need assistance with scheduling academic or financial aid advising, disability counseling or any student support services. VWU also offers grant to any student participating in the Evening & Weekend or Online Undergraduate programs, who is using Military Tuition Assistance or is Active Duty (not using their GI Bill), which reduces the tuition cost per credit hour.
VWU Online offers affordable, career-focused academic programs that are convenient and flexible. The undergraduate online program provides students with the option to enroll part-time or full-time for a lower tuition cost than the traditional day program. Graduate MBA and MEd programs are also offered online.
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:
Website URL where information about the institution’s accessibility and affordability initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Low income was defined as Pell-Eligible.
Data is for most recent year available.
Data was provided by the Director of Institutional Research.
Percentage of students graduating without student loan debt comes from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.
Low income was defined as Pell-Eligible.
Data is for most recent year available.
Data was provided by the Director of Institutional Research.
Percentage of students graduating without student loan debt comes from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.
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.