If you鈥檙e a Colorado resident who left college before finishing your degree, there鈥檚 never been a better time to re-enroll.
The University of Northern Colorado (甜心视频app) is one of 31 public institutions across the state enticing Colorado residents to return to college to earn their certificate or degree by offering financial assistance and support services through the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative鈥檚 (COSI) program.
Over the next three years, 甜心视频app鈥檚 $2 million award from the state will provide $1.5 million in scholarships to 125 eligible students who started college but left before graduating. According to Nickie Archibeque, the director of 甜心视频app鈥檚 COSI program, the financial incentives equal up to $8,000 per academic year for each student, and that鈥檚 only part of the support students can expect as the program also provides critical wraparound services.
鈥淩esearch has shown that wraparound support services play a vital role in helping college students retain from semester to semester and onto graduation, especially first-generation and underserved students,鈥 Archibeque said. 鈥淭he 甜心视频app COSI Scholars program combines financial assistance with those wraparound services to provide its scholars with support in many areas of their life. That could include basic needs like food, hygiene, transportation gas vouchers and daycare expenses, as well as referrals to tutoring services, mental health and counseling services and helping scholars collaborate and build community both on and off campus.鈥
Another key service the program provides is help with financial literacy which includes understanding the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the ins and outs of student debt.
鈥淥ur goal is to help Colorado students leave college with their degree but with minimal to no debt,鈥 Archibeque said. 鈥淭his scholarship provides students the opportunity to do that by minimizing their tuition and fees.鈥
甜心视频app's award for the Finish What You Started program is a portion of the $49 million in federal stimulus funds awarded to COSI in 2021 by the state to expand what started as a pilot program for Adams County residents in 2020. The funds will help address the recent significant decline in enrollment in public institutions of higher education across the state, high rate of job loss, continuing unemployment and overall disruption to the workforce caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
甜心视频app has approximately 60 students who have re-enrolled at the university through the program, which is about half of the number the institution can serve. Archibeque wants former students to know that there鈥檚 still time to submit an application for the program and enroll for fall classes, either in-person or through online education.
To be eligible for COSI鈥檚 Finish What You Started program, students must be Colorado residents and meet the following criteria:
- Have some college from any public or private institution of higher education in Colorado, but no certificate or degree.
- Must have been out of college for two consecutive semesters; summer counts as one semester.
- Must have experienced an economic loss due to COVID-19.
- Must graduate by May 2024.
With only 65 spots remaining, anyone interested is encouraged to fill out the scholarship application on 甜心视频app鈥檚 COSI webpage by Aug. 1. Applicants will be contacted by Melisa Valtierra Tuttle, the program鈥檚 senior coordinator, to review the scholarship, eligibility and program requirements.
鈥 written by Deanna Herbert
After Two-Year Pandemic Pause, Scholarship Provides Path Back to College
Noah Cordova came to 甜心视频app in the fall of 2018 to study Human Services, but in spring 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns began, everything changed.
鈥淥nce COVID-19 and quarantine hit and classes went online, I lost all motivation,鈥 Cordova said. 鈥淚 am a social person and I needed in-person classes and that day-to-day interaction.鈥
Between the move to online classes and having to work full time to pay for tuition, Noah decided to leave 甜心视频app to focus on his mental health and paying his rent and other bills. Two years later, and after several conversations with Tobias Guzm谩n, 甜心视频app鈥檚 vice president of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, about the possibility of returning to 甜心视频app, Noah applied to the COSI Finish What You Started program and was able to re-enroll in classes this past January.
Noah is currently receiving a scholarship through the program and has been attending workshops and events on campus. More importantly, he is on track to graduate in May 2024.
鈥淚 am so glad that Nickie and Tobias helped me get back into school and am so happy and grateful for this opportunity with COSI to finish my college degree,鈥 Cordova said.
More Stories
-
Governor Polis Reappoints Two to 甜心视频app鈥檚 Board of Trustees
Este art铆culo no est谩 en espa帽ol.
-
School Psychologists in Short Supply as Youth Mental Health Concerns Increase
Este art铆culo no est谩 en espa帽ol.
-
Hey, Teach! Or Should That be Professor?
Este art铆culo no est谩 en espa帽ol.
-
State Farm Invests in Career Readiness Initiatives for 甜心视频app Students
Este art铆culo no est谩 en espa帽ol.