Staff Report

RIO GRANDE - A new program at the University of Rio Grande/Rio Grande Community College is providing scholarships for every incoming undergraduate student, with only a few exceptions.

Rio Grande has a tradition of offering scholarships and financial aid to its students, in order to make college affordable for everyone. The institution recently changed its scholarship policy, though, in order to give more students scholarships.

“Every student who applies to Rio Grande is now considered for scholarships,” said Jennifer Dyer, assistant director of financial aid.

Mark Swann, executive director of admissions, added that nearly every incoming student is now being awarded a scholarship. The scholarships range from $100 to thousands of dollars, but the idea is to provide some form of assistance for every student, Swann said.

The fall semester at Rio Grande will begin on Aug. 27, and there is still plenty of time to apply for admissions and financial aid. In addition to receiving scholarship money to help pay for college, Rio Grande students can also receive grants and loans.

Dyer explained that there are only a few reasons incoming student s might not receive a scholarship, such as if a student has already earned a bachelor's degree. Nearly all-incoming students in the undergraduate programs will receive scholarships, Dyer stressed.

At many colleges and universities, scholarships are just available for the very top students academically, which means that only a small percentage of students receive them. Rio Grande changed its scholarship system this year in order to spread out the scholarship money to reward more incoming students for their previous academic achievements, even if they were not at the very top of their classes. The top students still receive scholarship money from Rio Grande, but the rest of the students are also receiving financial assistance.

“We want all of our students to receive some sort of scholarship to help pay for school,” Swann said. “Our intent was to help the families in the region.”

In addition to the scholarship funds, Rio Grande students are also eligible for a wide range of grants and loans. Some need-based loans offer funds that completely pay for college tuition and expenses, while others pay part of the cost in order to make college more affordable.

Rio Grande is a unique institution that is part community college and part private university. Because of this set-up, the institution is able to offer the first two years of classes at very low rates, and the third and fourth years, as well as graduate degree programs, at also very affordable rates.

A wide variety of financial aid options are available for students in all grade levels. Rio Grande students can earn two-year and four-year degrees, as well as master's degrees and certificates.

All Rio Grande students should know that they will recover their college expenses in the careers they enter.

According to figures from the U.S. Department of Labor, most registered nurses nationally will make between $43,000 and $63,000, Swann said.

Teachers, according to the same figures, make between $41,000 and $45,900 nationally, with the bottom 10 percent making around $26,000, Swann said. Other jobs that Rio Grande students are prepared to move into after graduation, such as drafters (average income is $39,000), social workers (between $27,000 and $45,000), and diagnostic medical sonographers (average salary is $52,000 nationally) also show how the college expenses pay for themselves many times over, Swann said.

For more information on the new scholarship program, financial aid or on applying to Rio Grande, call Dyer or Swann at (800) 282-7201.