Recognizing the financial burden of a college education, Concordia University Wisconsin has unveiled a new program that will give high school students early access to college classes at a significantly reduced tuition rate.
The Concordia Promise program, announced Thursday morning by CUW president Rev. Patrick Ferry, Ph.D., at BizTimes Media’s 2015 Economic Trends Breakfast, will even award some of its high school students college courses for free.
According to the dual credit program’s model, enrolled students will pay $50 per credit hour toward Concordia Promise classes – a cost much cheaper than traditional higher education tuition, Ferry said.
Students who then opt to attend CUW at its Mequon campus or Ann Arbor, Mich. campus will be fully reimbursed for the credits they have acquired through a scholarship. Program students who choose to take their college education elsewhere will likely be able to transfer the credits they have accumulated but will not be eligible for scholarship assistance from CUW.
The university will launch its “Promise” program this spring with a pilot group of about 500 students who are still being recruited, Ferry said. The program is open to students across the country attending a select group of Lutheran-affiliated high schools and other Christian schools or learning through homeschooling. Expanding the pool of high schools eligible to take part in the program is part of the university’s conversation moving forward.
Program studies will center on the liberal arts with students completing core curriculum courses. As the program launches, it will primarily be facilitated in an online format. CUW anticipates approving qualified instructors to teach “Promise” courses in high schools and is also considering offering some courses on its campuses in the future.
The creation of the “Promise” program was partially inspired by the rising costs of higher education, according to Ferry.
“We recognize that many students are graduating with a fairly heavy educational debt,” Ferry said, adding that families today are often questioning the value of students’ educational experiences relative to their attached cost.
CUW aims to alleviate some of the financial stress associated with higher education while also using the program as a campus recruitment tool.
“We’re hoping that this will give (students) the chance to see a viable way of a Concordia quality education that they might desire,” Ferry said.
Funding for the Concordia Promise program is backed by CUW’s institutional aid, according to Ferry.
Kathryn Baganz will oversee the new program as CUW’s dual credit coordinator.
