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Tuition Guarantee. Requirements and Impact of the Program. Mike Eaton Summer Legislative Retreat 2014. TG Program Description. For ANY high s chool graduate from participating school districts/counties.
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Tuition Guarantee Requirements and Impact of the Program Mike EatonSummer Legislative Retreat 2014
TG Program Description • For ANY high school graduate from participating school districts/counties. • Graduates MUST begin the TG program in the fall semester immediately following their HS graduation. • Those with military obligations may petition for entry after obligations are satisfied. • Contact point for the program is each community college’s student financial aid office.
TG Program Description • Funding: • Provides funds AFTER all federal, state, and private sources have been utilized to pay tuition. • Funding sources vary by county. • Some counties have a public/private funding with private funding coming from foundations and/or individuals.
TG Program Description • Applicants must agree to: • Complete HS graduation by the end of May. • Take the ACT before the end of June. • Apply for MTAG by the end of July. • Complete the FAFSA by the end of July.
TG Program Description • Applicants must agree to: • Enroll as a full-time (12 hrs. minimum) community college student in the fall semester. • Maintain a 2.0 GPA* average each semester. • If student drops below full-time status or below a 2.0 GPA, he or she is permanently dropped from the program, never to return. Monroe County requires a 2.5 GPA. • Allow grades and attendance information to be sent to parents.
TG other requirements Residency, Early Graduation, & ACT: Monroe County has the most restrictions: • Graduation from county high school. • Also a resident of county. • Higher GPA requirements of 2.5 GPA. • ACT requirements for some majors:AA of 16AA Education program of 20 AAS Medical programs of 18 Other AAS programs have no ACT req. • No coverage for early HS grads in Dec.
TG other requirements Residency, Early Graduation, & ACT: Itawamba, Lee, Pontotoc, and Chickasaw Counties • Graduation from county high school. • GPA requirements of 2.0 GPA. • No ACT requirements . • Covers early HS grads in December. Spring 2014 for Itawamba, Pontotoc, and Chickasaw . Spring 2015 for Lee.
TG GED COVERAGE at ICC GED Students in ICC District: Lee County • Does not cover GED completer residents. Itawamba, Pontotoc, and ChickasawCounties • Covers GED completer residents. GED coverage was added in 2009 after the first year of the program. Monroe County • Covers GED completer residents since it started the program in 2007.
TG UPDATES-Other districts TG Students in Other Districts:Exceptions to county/district allocations Lafayette County • High school graduates can use TG funds at Northwest, Itawamba, or Northeast community college. Tishomingo County • High school graduates can use TG funds at Itawamba or Northeast community college. Benton and Marshall Counties • High school graduates can use TG funds at ANY Mississippi community college.
TG Partner responsibilities • Community College • Handle applications through Financial Aid offices. • Monitor progress of students in the program each semester. • Request money from TG funds held by CREATE or the community college foundation. • Meet with parents and students of school districts to encourage applications by graduates.
TG Partner responsibilities • Community College • Apply TG funds only AFTER federal, state, institutional, and private donor funds have been applied. • Agree that TG funds are not shifted to pay other expenses such as books just because TG funds are available—IF books are explicitly funded as part of the TG program for a particular county.
TG Partner responsibilities • CREATE FOUNDATION • Coordinate and standardize the program for all community college’s in the region. • Solicit donor support for the program. • Manage endowed funds for the TG program. • Provide matching funds to community college foundations as required.
TG byproduct • Volume of students accessing financial aid • Improved student and parent awareness. • Requirements of the program (MTAG/FAFSA) and follow-through by Financial Aid departments have increased the number of students accessing aid. Many have discovered that they qualified for some aid other than TG program because they filled out the TG paperwork. • ICC awards more state aid than other similar size CCs.
TG Concern • Possible Jeopardy to the program as tuition levels increase • Not all supporters are inclined to continue 100% coverage as tuition prices increase. It is an annual renegotiation of funding as local decisions are made on tuition levels. • ICC raised tuition from $1000 to $11oo in Fall 2013. All counties supported the increase except Monroe County that capped per/student support at $1000.
TG Data-by FALL 2013 TERM Note: Monroe County no longer pays book allowance and Lee County reduced the book allowance to $300 for Fall 2014.
TG Data-by FALL 2013 TERM BY school
TG Data-retention • When comparing students who qualified for the Tuition Guarantee program and received TG funding against those that qualified, but did not receive TG funding, the TG program may encourage better retention and persistence rates. • For the cohort groups from 2009-10 to 2011-12, term over term persistence is better for those receiving the TG funds.
TG Data-graduation rates • When comparing students who qualified for the Tuition Guarantee program and received TG funding against those that qualified, but did not receive TG funding, the TG program may encourage better graduation rates. • Better persistence seems to lead to higher graduation rates for those receiving the TG funds.