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Daisy Campos, center, a Goodrich Scholar at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, addresses students at Omaha South High School about the Collegebound Nebraska program as Gov. Dave Heineman, right, and University of Nebraska President James B. Milliken look on. |
Milliken and Gov. Dave Heineman spoke at assemblies at Lincoln Northstar, Omaha South and Grand Island Senior High Schools to encourage students to attend college and to talk about Collegebound Nebraska.
“Affordable access to a quality education is the university’s highest priority,” Milliken said. “The Collegebound Nebraska program makes a promise to Nebraska young people: If you are a Nebraska resident who meets admission requirements for the University of Nebraska, and if you are eligible for a Pell Grant, you can attend the University of Nebraska and pay no tuition.”
He added, “This fall, we have expanded Collegebound Nebraska, to make financial aid available to even more Nebraska families. Many families are caught in a situation of having too high an income to receive a Pell Grant but too low to consider college affordable. We have expanded the program to help meet that gap.”
Eligibility for Collegebound Nebraska depends on a number of factors including family size and total assets, but as a general rule, Milliken said, a family of four with one student in college and an income of $45,000 or less will qualify for full tuition assistance.
“I applaud President J.B. Milliken and the University of Nebraska on expanding the financial assistance available to help more high school graduates attend college,” Heineman said. “Increasing Nebraska’s college enrollment is critical to the future success of today’s students and our continued economic growth as a state. This is a great way to provide meaningful assistance. The Collegebound program will ensure more Nebraska students have access to the tools they need to make higher education a reality, and that’s great news for our state.”
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Since then, more than $13.6 million has been provided to Nebraska students to help them pay their tuition on one of the university’s four campuses. This year, almost 4,300 students are receiving Collegebound funds, including more than 220 who didn’t meet Pell eligibility but did qualify under the expanded program.
The university believes many more students could qualify.
“Unfortunately, many Nebraskans who could benefit from the program have not been aware of it,” Milliken said.
That’s why the university is launching a statewide information campaign over the next several months to tell students and their parents about ways to overcome barriers to attending college and to tell them that assistance — both from Collegebound and from other publicly and privately funded aid programs — is available.
Among those is the Thompson Scholars Program, a program of the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation that provides financial aid to students attending any Nebraska public college or university. Information can be found here.
To be eligible for Collegebound Nebraska, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by April 1 of the year in which they plan to enroll in college. It’s important to apply early as funds are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. In Nebraska, the EducationQuest Foundation’s college planning offices will help students complete the FAFSA; help is also available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. No additional application is necessary to be considered for Collegebound Nebraska assistance. Financial aid officers review the “Student Aid Report” sent to students who complete the FAFSA to determine their eligibility for Collegebound funding.
Materials on the program have been sent to all high schools in the state and also are available through campus admissions offices. A new Web site, www.collegeboundnebraska.com, offers additional information including:
- NU admission requirements: required courses, test scores and class rank;
- Economic and social benefits of attending college;
- Choosing a college; and
- Paying for college.
The Collegebound Nebraska program supplements another NU initiative directed to 8th grade students and their families, encouraging students to take the right classes beginning in the 9th grade so that they will be academically prepared for college. It also supports Know How 2 Go Nebraska, a national initiative to help young people prepare and save for college.