Missouri College Access Network
Take a look at what we’re reading and looking forward to attending from the week of March 29.
What We’re Reading
Making Education More Accessible for Rural Students (The EvoLLLution)
Upcoming Events
April 9-April 23 – St. Louis Graduates Virtual Professional Development Institute
April 19-April 21 – MOACAC Virtual Spring Conference*
April 26-April 30 – Partners for Education Virtual Rural College Access and Success Summit*
*Fees may apply
You can view all upcoming events on our calendar here.
Take a look at what we’re reading and looking forward to attending from the week of March 15.
What We’re Reading
5 Ways to Support Lower-Income Remote Learners (EdTech)
New Survey Data Quantify Students’ COVID Concerns (National College Attainment Network)
Report Highlights Challenges Facing Rural Communities (Diverse Issues in Higher Education)
College applications in pandemic year show deepening inequities in access to higher education (CNN)
Upcoming Events
March 26-April 23 – St. Louis Graduates Virtual Professional Development Institute
March 30 – NCAN Webinar: Scaling Success Services: Strategies for Promoting Postsecondary Success*
March 31 – NCAN Webinar: African American Males Pursuing Educational Dreams: AAMPED Up!*
April 19-April 21 – MOACAC Virtual Spring Conference*
April 26-April 30 – Partners for Education Virtual Rural College Access and Success Summit*
*Fees may apply
You can view all upcoming events on our calendar here.
Take a look at what we’re posting, reading, and looking forward to attending from the week of March 8.
What We’re Posting
Did You Know?: Bridges to Success Equity Webinar focuses on women’s colleges
What We’re Reading
‘Right now is not my time’: How Covid dimmed college prospects for students who need help most (The Hechinger Report)
As Pell Grants open up for incarcerated students, programs ready for growth (Higher Ed Dive)
Upcoming Events
March 26-April 23 – St. Louis Graduates Virtual Professional Development Institute
April 19-April 21 – MOACAC Virtual Spring Conference*
April 26-April 30 – Partners for Education Virtual Rural College Access and Success Summit*
*Fees may apply
You can view all upcoming events on our calendar here.
White paper highlights CARES Act funding disparities
The Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development (MDHEWD) will host a webinar, Thursday, March 11, as part of its Bridges to Success Equity Webinar series.
Alicia Sparer, the Student Success Center assistant director at Stephens College, will host the webinar, offering perspective on how a private women’s college supported student success and worked to close equity gaps during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A corresponding white paper, covering the allocation of CARES Act funding to institutions of higher education, was published today by MDHEWD’s Office of Postsecondary Policy.
Thursday’s webinar is the latest in a series of monthly presentations given by educators and advocates aimed at promoting equity throughout Missouri’s colleges and universities.
“Understanding equity in higher education means elevating voices that often go unheard,” said Dr. Mara Woody, assistant commissioner of the office of postsecondary policy. “This month’s webinar and white paper carry real significance because they’ll offer unique perspectives from women’s colleges, as well as community colleges that are fighting to secure more funding for their students.”
This week’s webinar will focus on how Stephens College addressed issues of equity during the pandemic and the lessons other schools can learn from that experience. The white paper examines funding disparities in CARES Act disbursements and how those disparities can be corrected.
Monthly equity webinars are scheduled to take place from now until June. Download the white paper, register for the upcoming webinar, and see future webinar dates at dhewd.mo.gov/equity_project.
This post was created and released by the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development.
Students studying public health now eligible for Fast Track grants
The Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education (CBHE) voted to add public health to the list of eligible program areas for the Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant during its March 3 meeting.
Students studying in an approved public health program will be eligible to receive Fast Track grants starting in fall 2021.
Fast Track addresses workforce needs by providing grants to adult students as they pursue a certificate, degree, or industry-recognized credential in an area designated as high need. Public health programs include degrees and certificates in health services administration, public health genetics, community health, among others.
“Over the past 12 months, we have seen the value of the public health profession on full display,” said Zora Mulligan, commissioner of higher education. “With the addition of this new program area, Fast Track will help more Missourians advance their careers, as well as build the public health infrastructure the state needs to face challenges similar to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Individuals who have not already earned a bachelor’s degree, are at least 25 years old or have not been enrolled in any school within the last two years, and who meet certain income caps can apply for a Fast Track grant. The grants are designed to ensure, when combined with other governmental financial aid, that tuition and fees are fully covered.
In June 2019, the CBHE voted to approve an initial list of programs eligible for Fast Track grants. Each year, the CBHE receives requests to expand Fast Track’s scope to include additional instructional areas. By statute, the board is required to review the list annually, leaving open the option to grow the program in subsequent years.
The board discussed adding General Biology and Air Transportation to the list of eligible programs but ultimately did not approve either for the 2021-22 academic year.
Learn more about the Fast Track Grant at mofasttrack.com.
This post was created and released by the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development.
Now that many students have been offered admission to colleges and universities across the country, financial aid offers will soon follow. These offers, often referred to as award letters, are sure to spark conversations about college affordability between students, families, and college attainment professionals. Here are few critical things that students and families need to know about financial aid offers.
For all of the excitement they bring, financial aid offers have a reputation for being a bit confusing. In 2018, the think tank New America and uAspire analyzed over 500 financial aid award letters. Their research found that many of the letters used jargon, omitted the complete cost of attendance, and left students without clear next steps.
But with the right information, analyzing and comparing financial aid offers from colleges and universities is a process students and families can feasibly tackle.
The basic components of any award letter are the same. They should each include the details of the types of financial aid an institution is offering and an estimated cost of attendance. With that information, students can find the price they will actually have to pay: the net price.
Let’s start by breaking down the actual financial aid being offered.
Broadly, there are four types of aid: scholarships, federal and state grants, work study, and loans.
When talking to students about loans, stress to them to only take out as much as they need—it’s not necessarily best to take all that is offered. For example, if the student only needs $5,000 for food and housing, but $7,500 is offered, they should only take $5,000. Students may be tempted to have the extra money in college, but they should know that they will eventually have to pay back those loans with interest, which will be far more expensive in the long run.
The award letter should show the itemized offers for the fall, the spring, and their total for the academic year. Encourage students sure to ask themselves these questions when reviewing offers:
Once students have added up how much money a college is offering, they should compare that against the included cost of attendance estimate.
Total Cost of Attendance = Direct Costs + Indirect Costs
Once students know the financial aid offers and the costs of attendance, it’s time to find the net price if it was not included already. In New America and uAspire’s study on award letters, only 40% included a net price—the remaining out-of-pocket costs.
To calculate the net price, subtract the student’s financial aid total from cost of attendance. This is the amount that the student will actually be responsible for. A few ways to close these gaps include paying with savings or taking out additional loans.
Luckily, there are wonderful resources out there to help students and families crunch the numbers and weigh all of their options. Check out these free tools:
Has the student or their family recently had a change in their financial situation? They might consider writing a financial aid appeal letter to ask the school to complete a review that may provide additional scholarship or grant eligibility. SwiftStudent is a great resource which helps students through this process.
When deciding where to enroll, the bottom dollar is not the only thing to consider. Encourage students to research potential schools’ graduation and retention rates, along with how their net price stacks up against other students’. The Department of Education’s College Scorecard is a wonderful resource to make those comparisons.
If students and families feel that they’ve hit a wall, encourage them to reach out to a college’s office of financial aid to get answers.
Running the numbers, doing the research, and comparing schools is not the most exciting work, but it is well worth the excitement that accompanies the final product: making a decision about the future that students and their families can feel good about.
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