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When the State of Rhode Island launched the Hope Scholarship at ������Ƶ in the Fall of 2023, which fully covers tuition and mandatory fees for in-state students during their junior and senior years, there were two broad goals: to increase the number of students enrolling at ������Ƶ and to increase the number of students completing their four-year degrees on time.

On both counts, Year One of the Hope Scholarship has provided positive indicators that the program is working as designed. Hope scholars completed more courses (98.2 percent passed all their fall courses in 2023) and Hope scholars are staying in school (97.8 percent retained fall-to-spring enrollment). Ninety-one of them received their degrees in May.

“The Hope Scholarship is an important tool in building the highly educated workforce to drive Rhode Island’s economic future,” says ������Ƶ President Jack Warner. “We know that a high-quality degree from ������Ƶ is the pathway to social mobility for so many Rhode Islanders. This scholarship opens that pathway for many more people. It’s not just the scholarship recipients who benefit, but the entire state as we strengthen public higher education.”

“It’s one thing to have the drive to succeed, but without the resources, there’s nothing you can do. I am very, very grateful for this scholarship.” – Remi Salako, Hope Scholar

The first cohort of Hope-eligible students totaled 357 juniors and seniors. Of the 357, 245 received the Hope Scholarship. (The remaining 112 received other forms of grants and scholarships that covered their college costs.)

The Hope Scholarship is a last-dollar scholarship, meaning it will make up the difference when other forms of funding are not enough to cover tuition and fees and it eliminates the need to take out a student loan. It is also merit based, meaning that even if you have no financial need, you can still receive the Hope Scholarship.

I don’t qualify for federal grants nor work study, so I took out federal loans for my first two years at ������Ƶ...Hope feels like an equal opportunity scholarship because it is a last-dollar scholarship for all in-state students, regardless of their eligibility for financial aid. – Miguel Hoyos, Hope Scholar

The impact of this scholarship on the state has been immense. “There’s an energy around the scholarship throughout Rhode Island,” says Dean of Enrollment Management Jim Tweed. “You hear teachers, students and guidance counselors talking about the scholarship and the opportunity it provides students who may not have considered going to a four-year college directly from high school.”

It’s also driving more in-state high school seniors to consider ������Ƶ. Two years tuition-free has proven to be a powerful incentive for high school graduates to make ������Ƶ their first-choice school.

Attendance at Accepted Students Day increased by 50 percent. In-state gross deposits increased by 74.3 percent. And the number of first-year, in-state students also rose significantly. An influx of more than 1,700 new undergraduate students (a figure which includes transfers, who are not Hope eligible) has pushed overall enrollment (undergraduate and graduate) to nearly 6,200, the highest it’s been since before the pandemic.

“We set a goal to increase new students by 10 percent,” Tweed says. “We’re up 25 percent over this time last year.”

The scholarship has also led to a change in full-time versus part-time status of enrolled students.

“It used to be that students enrolled part time because they couldn’t afford to go full time,” Tweed says. “But there’s been a shift. Ninety percent of students are enrolled full time this fall so that they can benefit from the Hope Scholarship, which requires full-time enrollment.”

“Because of the Hope Scholarship, the stress has been lifted. I can now focus completely on school.” – Moses Nicolau, Hope Scholar

Once enrolled, ������Ƶ makes sure Hope eligible students stay on track.

Interim Director of the Hope Scholarship Program Jennifer Boulay reaches out to Hope eligible students throughout the course of a semester.

“I might email them and say, ‘Keep up the good work, you look like you’re on track. Here is a reminder of the Hope Scholarship criteria for staying on track.’

“If a student seems to be off track, I’ll email them and say, ‘Consider doing early spring courses or summer courses to ensure you reach 30 credits by the end of the year. You need at least 120 credits to graduate in four years.

“If their GPA has fallen, I might suggest doing an early spring course to bring up their GPA. A GPA below 2.5 is one of the conditions that will remove you from the Hope Scholarship Program, but it is also one of the few conditions that, if you correct it, will allow you to return to the program.

“Ultimately, our goal is not to take money away from students. It’s to award as many eligible students with scholarships as possible and to make sure they graduate on time.”

I think it’s called the Hope Scholarship because it gives people hope – hope that they can graduate.” – Meghan LaFlamme, Hope Scholar

According to Boulay, ������Ƶ’s graduation rates have historically fallen below peer institutions. From 2014-2018, the average four-year graduation rate for first-time freshmen at ������Ƶ was 20 percent and 26 percent among peer institutions.

It’s still too early to determine the impact of the scholarship on ������Ƶ’s four-year graduation rate. The college won’t begin to see true measurable results until this year’s freshmen, entering Fall Semester 2024, complete their bachelor’s degree in Spring Semester 2028. 

The pilot program is now slated to run until 2030, after R.I. Gov. Daniel McKee submitted and the General Assembly approved a budget amendment earlier this year to fund an additional two years on top of the original five-year pilot.

Needless to say, the governor is a believer.

“The Hope Scholarship has made earning a four-year degree an achievable goal for many Rhode Islanders,” he says. “I’m excited to see the impact the scholarship has had on the Ocean State and its workforce as we prioritize the affordability of higher education.”

To be eligible for the Hope Scholarship, candidates must:

☑️ Live in Rhode Island
☑️ Start at ������Ƶ as a first-time, first-year student
☑️ Enroll and remain enrolled as a full-time student
☑️ Complete the FAFSA annually
☑️ Maintain a 2.5 GPA
☑️ Declare a major by their junior year
☑️ Stay on track to graduate in four years

☑️ Commit to live, work or continue your education in Rhode Island after graduation

To learn more, visit the Hope Scholarship Web page.

Hear from Hope Scholars: Jacqueline Carroll, Miguel Hoyos, Meghan LaFlamme, Olivia Lancellotta, Moses Nicolau, Marissa North, Ariel Polanco, Remi Salako and Tytain Sun.