Making College More Affordable Amid The Covid-19 | Lackawanna College

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Making College More Affordable Amid The Covid-19 Pandemic

While the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted higher education and K-12 institutions, students from all socio-economic circumstances have been forced to questions their college plans. As a College, our most urgent task has been to alleviate the economic hardships faced by students and their families during this difficult time. Our mission is, and will always be, to support our students. One of our goals is to ensure that our community’s students do not give up their dream of obtaining a college education as a result of this crisis.

Lackawanna College has evolved to keep pace with the changing times, ourselves surviving many economic and social challenges. Our success comes from an ability to take risks and pioneer programs and initiatives that align with the needs of students, socioeconomic circumstances, and current job markets.  As one of Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania’s most affordable colleges, we are always finding ways to help students and families save money while earning a degree. We recently launched enhanced scholarship opportunities that will help current and prospective students start and succeed in their education.

Dual Enrollment Scholarship
The Lackawanna College Dual Enrollment Scholarship is being offered to graduating seniors in the Class of 2020 who participated in our dual enrollment program. This is a spectacular opportunity that is available to nearly 500 students in 50 school districts across Northeastern and Central, Pa. Scholarships will range from $1,200 for a student who took one dual enrollment course and enrolls in a bachelor’s degree program to $10,000 or more, doubling or quadrupling a student’s tuition paid out of pocket for those dual enrollment courses.

Dual enrollment courses are a perfect opportunity for students to save time and money in pursuit of their degree. It offers students a collegiate coursework experience while they are still in a high school environment. At the same time, students earn credits that can apply toward a two-year degree at the College, or even toward a four-year degree.

Honors Program Scholarship
The Lackawanna College Honors Program Scholarship is designed for the top academically ranked high school seniors in every high school graduating class from 45 school districts across Northeastern and Central, Pa. The Honors Program Scholarship consists of full-tuition scholarships to the top 10 ranked students in each school, for up to four years. The students ranked from 11-20 will be offered 50% tuition scholarships for up to four years, with the opportunity to earn full scholarships based on financial need.

This program is the first of its kind in NEPA and is positioned to be a transformational opportunity for both students and for our region. The Honors Program will provide not just scholarships but also comprehensive educational experiences that will prepare graduates to emerge as leaders ready to change the face of their communities. These educational experiences include leadership opportunities, meaningful immersive service to and in our community and experiential challenging curricula.

What more can we do to help mitigate some costs associated with attending college? What can we do to help close the opportunity gap between high-income and low-income families in our community?