HUNTINGTON Ƶ Incoming West Virginia students with a family income of $65,000 or less will now be able to attend college at Marshall University for free Ƶ no loans required.
According to an announcement Thursday, the effort is part of an expansion to the universityƵs ƵƵ program, which started in the fall semester of 2023.
For the past two academic years, a random cohort of 100 West Virginia and metro-area students has been chosen for the Marshall For All: Debt-Free program. The promise to these students was the rest of their tuition would be paid, given they earn a bachelorƵs degree within four years, apply for the FAFSA and available scholarships, complete an internship and financial literacy courses, and regularly consult with their academic advisors and peer mentors.
Now, qualifying students residing in West Virginia who complete the FAFSA will have 100% of their tuition covered under the program. This includes mandatory university fees, although students will remain responsible for housing, meals, books and other personal expenses.
There is no additional application for the program, as students will be automatically considered upon acceptance into Marshall.
ƵThis is a game-changer for students across West Virginia,Ƶ Jerry Ross, MarshallƵs chief enrollment officer, said in the release announcing the program. ƵWe understand that affording college is a major concern for many families, and this program is another way weƵre working to make a Marshall education more accessible.Ƶ
Marshall Provost Avinandan ƵAviƵ Mukherjee told The Herald-Dispatch, although students have been selected randomly for the overall Marshall For All program up to this point, many of them came from low-income households or were Pell Grant recipients.
President Brad D. Smith told the Board of Governors during a regular meeting earlier this month, the fall 2024 cohort of 100 students in the program had a grade point average of 3.08. He compared this to Pell-eligible students who arenƵt in the program, who averaged a GPA of 2.69.
Smith said the retention for Pell-eligible students in the Marshall For All program is also significantly higher than their peers not in the program.
ƵThere are two things that we have seen to be predictive of success: One is if you remove the barrier of financial concern and burden, and the second is if you provide the right support network,Ƶ Smith said after the meeting.
Smith said he also expects the university to accept another 200 students into Marshall For All: Debt-Free program for the fall 2025 semester.
ƵWeƵre going to double the size of the program. So I am filled with optimism and excitement about the future,Ƶ he said.
Katelyn Aluise is an education and court reporter.
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