Point Park University administrators believe a new scholarship offer for transfer students this fall could sway students into attending the Downtown Pittsburgh college.
Point Park’s limited-time “Next Step Scholarship” will provide $3,000 annually to students that transfer in this fall.
“This gives them a financial incentive and cushion to see if Point Park would be a good place for them,” said Marlin Collingwood, vice president of enrollment management.
The initiative is offered in addition to Point Park’s other scholarships.
Point Park’s tuition ranges from $40,260 to $51,260 annually for full-time undergraduate students.
Pennsylvania consistently ranks as one of the least affordable states to pursue higher education. Additionally, Pennsylvania students carry the third-largest student debt load in the nation.
But colleges are launching more initiatives to be more affordable.
In addition to Point Park’s Next Step Scholarship, the University of Pittsburgh now offers free tuition at its regional campuses to Pennsylvania students from households earning under $75,000 a year.
Point Park sees about 85 to 90 transfer students each fall, Collingwood said.
“We’ve made a concerted effort in outreach and marketing at Point Park to students at other schools, and we’re seeing a nice return for that,” he said. “We’ve always had a healthy transfer population coming in, and we’d like to give the opportunity for more students to do that.”
Collingwood also thinks the initiative will attract students who completed an associate degree at a community college and are seeking a bachelor’s degree.
“Success in this is, ideally, transfer students are able to come here and be successful,” he said.