Capital University to offer full-ride scholarship to eligible Columbus State students

Columbus State Community College students looking to complete a bachelor's degree will be able to do so debt-free starting this fall at Capital University.

Capital University has announced that it is expanding its partnership with Columbus State to offer full tuition and fees scholarships to students who transfer from Columbus State to the university for their bachelor's degree as part of Capital's Main Street Scholarship.

The scholarship, which begins this fall, is open to all Columbus State-Capital dual admission students, all Columbus State transfer students who have a GPA of 2.5 or better while enrolled at the college, are Ohio residents, and who are at least partial Pell-eligible.

The offer is accessible as early as sophomore status if a student has at least three remaining years of Pell eligibility, and is otherwise designed for students who have completed their Columbus State two-year associate degree and remain eligible for federal Pell grant support, including past Columbus State graduates.

Capital University Provost Jody Fournier said the scholarship is the latest step in the university's journey to improve student success.

Since embarking on an ambitious audit to improve student outcomes in 2009, Capital has made hundreds of changes to how it operates, Fournier said. In centering the first-year student experience, Fournier said what was missing was a focus on transfer students.

So the university talked with Columbus State President David T. Harrison, who had similar goals for the college's graduates, and Capital did an intensive study about transfer students with the goal of understanding: "What can we do to make this process more seamless?"

The university uses a shared recruiter with Columbus State, engaging prospective high school students the same as they would any other student, said Capital University President David L. Kaufman. Columbus State-Capital Dual Admission students are enrolled at both institutions and have access to resources at both schools including campus libraries, student organizations, housing and events.

"We're treating them like Capital Students from day one at Columbus State," Fournier said.

All that was missing was addressing the economics. Tuition for full-time Capital students currently costs $39,900 a year and an additional $450 in student fees. Full-time Columbus State students pay $5,188 a year.

"Affordability is the final step after accessibility," Kaufman said.

Martin Maliwesky, senior vice president and chief academic officer at Columbus State, said the college's partnership with Capital over the past few years has brought the two institutions closer in meeting their shared goals for student success.

"Offering full tuition and fees support to our transfer students increases equitable access and opportunity for successful persistence and completion as they continue their higher education journey," Maliwesky said. "Starting at Columbus State is an outstanding start toward a zero-debt degree, and partners like Capital who understand the need for ongoing financial and holistic supports further our mission in a way we cannot do alone."

Kaufman said he's not aware of another partnership like this in higher education, in which a two-year public college and a four-year private university co-created a transfer student-specific financial aid model aimed at maximizing student success.

"There are highly capable, highly motivated students who want to pursue higher education, but face financial barriers," Fournier said. "This is a game changer."

Fournier said changing the financial model and student experience for transfer students needs to be of top importance for college leaders. Many four-year schools don't give the same level of financial aid to transfer students as they do 'first-time students,' he said.

That surprised Kaufman, who spent a four-decade career in corporate America before leading Capital. He sees the scholarship as an investment in his students.

"If you've already had two years at Columbus State, you've worked hard and you know what you're doing, I would rather invest in you," Kaufman said. "It's an investment in success."

Sheridan Hendrix is a higher education reporter for The Columbus Dispatch. Sign up for her Mobile Newsroom newsletter here and Extra Credit, her education newsletter, here.

shendrix@dispatch.com

@sheridan120

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus State transfers to receive full-ride scholarships at Capital