University of Idaho is bringing increased Go Idaho! Scholarship funding for incoming students, guaranteeing first-time Idaho undergraduates higher levels of funding based on high school GPAs than in previous years.
Under the prior funding levels, students with a 3.9 GPA or higher would be guaranteed $4,000 in guaranteed funding per year. Under the new system, those students will now be awarded $6,500 per year, UI Director of Financial Aid Randi Croyle said.
Students with GPAs between 3.75-3.899 as well as 3.4-3.749 also saw increases with guaranteed funding shifting to $4,500 and $3,000, respectively. The Vandal Merit award given to incoming students with GPAs ranging from 3.0-3.399 remains unchanged at $1,000 in guaranteed yearly funding.
Current students will be able to keep their current level of Go Idaho! funding through their first four years at the university, so long as they maintain the 2.5 GPA minimum.
ASUI Vice President Katie Hettinga expressed support for the changes to the Go Idaho! Program, acknowledging the funding guarantee as an important factor in her decision to come to UI.
“This program rewarded my accomplishments in high school, making my educational efforts feel appreciated while going to an in-state school,” Hettinga said, adding that, as a first-generation college student, she had worries about taking on student debt in pursuing secondary education.
For Hettinga, the internal scholarships were able to provide some “peace of mind” as she pursued her educational ambitions.
When asked about the extended scholarship ceiling for the program, Hettinga described the changes as a move towards improving the UI’s “sustainability.”
“Sustainability is usually a term used to describe environmentally-friendly practices or financial stewardship, but as an institution, we also need to consider (the) sustainability of the student body,” Hettinga said. “By providing students larger financial incentives to attend UI, we may be able to attract new students who will help grow our recruitment numbers and ideally finish a degree at UI to sustain growth in all graduating classes.”
Hettinga added that, as the cost of living continues to rise across the state, the importance of the university investing in its incoming students becomes increasingly important.
“UI invests in its future students so that future students will invest in UI,” Hettinga said.
Royce McCandless can be reached at [email protected] or Twitter @roycemccandless