Shippensburg University is now a preferred college partner by The Pittsburgh Promise, a foundation in Pittsburgh aimed at helping local students.
The goal of The Pittsburgh Promise is to “provide college scholarships to transform the lives of children and vitalize the region,” according to its website.
“The Preferred College Partners Program is intended to strengthen relationships between The Pittsburgh Promise and certain postsecondary institutions that provide additional financial aid and robust services for Promise Scholars,” its website states.
As a preferred college partner, SU will provide grants for room and board, as well as textbooks, beginning with the high school class of 2018. These students will receive up to $5,000 per year for four years of postsecondary education.
“The Pittsburgh Promise Scholarship is a ‘last dollar’ scholarship, meaning The Promise pays for eligible expenses after all other grants and scholarships, such as Pell, PHEAA, FSEOG and institutional grants have been deducted. Loans and work study are not included in the calculation. The Promise pays the remaining balance up to the student’s maximum award for each of four years of education,” according to The Pittsburgh Promise website.
SU, and other preferred colleges, will also provide additional academic support services to further aid students to promote retention and success.
To be eligible for the scholarship, The Promise requires students to: live in the city of Pittsburgh, continuously, without interruption, for at least the four years of high school; attend Pittsburgh public schools, continuously, without interruption, from at least the beginning of 9th grade, and through to graduation; graduate with a cumulative, unweighted GPA of 2.5 or higher; maintain an attendance record of 90 percent; use the scholarship at an accredited college or university or trade and technical school in Pennsylvania and file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and PA State Grant Form.
Other Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education schools included in the list of preferred colleges are Slippery Rock and Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
More information is available at https://www.pittsburghpromise.org.
The Slate welcomes thoughtful discussion on all of our stories, but please keep comments civil and on-topic. Read our full guidelines here.