| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.57 |
| Liaison | Jeff Spoelstra |
| Submission Date | July 22, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Western Michigan University
PA-8: Affordability and Access
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 4.00 |
Mark
Delorey Director Financial Aid |
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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:
Two special programs exemplify the University’s efforts to assure access and affordability to low income students with the greatest obstacles to enrollment. One is the Seita Scholars program which offers a full tuition scholarship to young people aging out of foster care. Currently, 160 students receive the scholarship along with a comprehensive academic and personal support program. The second is program without an official name. Since 2000, WMU has provided assistance to Undocumented students. In 2010, WMU became the first public school in the state to assess Undocumented students resident tuition rates. Since then, the University of Michigan and Wayne State have followed our lead. WMU remains the leader in the state in assisting Undocumented students by providing private scholarship funds to needy students as well as a Residence Hall Grant to cover the cost of living on campus.
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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:
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A brief description of any programs to prepare students from low-income backgrounds for higher education:
In December 2013, Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, recognized four schools for providing financial literacy instruction to low income students preparing for college. The “X-Treme Reality” program designed and operated by members of the WMU Financial Aid Office was singled out along with programs at Ohio State, Kansas State, and the University of Oregon.
WMU offers the TRiO Upward Bound Program, which helps prepare low-income, first generation students for higher education.
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A brief description of the institution's scholarships for low-income students:
WMU offers the Multicultural Leaders Scholarships to students from schools with high rates of eligibility for free and reduced lunch. WMU also offers WMU Grants ranging from $1,000 to $2,200, based on need, to supplement the needs of all Pell Grant recipients.
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A brief description of any programs to guide parents of low-income students through the higher education experience:
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A brief description of any targeted outreach to recruit students from low-income backgrounds:
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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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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:
Institutional need-based funding does not require full time attendance. Part time students are fully eligible, and receive awards pro-rated to their attendance (half awards for half time, etc.). Many transfer scholarships are available to students enrolled for as little as six hours, half time attendance.
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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:
WMU offers on-site child care at the Children's Place Learning Center. The professional training and caring staff at the WMU Children’s Place Learning Center focus on the unique needs of each child enrolled in our program. Low child-teacher ratios allow our teachers to interact and guide each child’s development based on their individual needs. Parents can be confident that their children will receive specialized personal attention that contributes to a positive learning experience.
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A brief description of other policies and programs to support 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 | 37.50 |
| The graduation/success rate for low-income students | 44 |
| The percentage of student financial need met, on average | 68 |
| The percentage of students graduating with no interest-bearing student loan debt | 50 |
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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:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.