WVU strives to increase financial aid, scholarship monies

The Rhododendron Scholarship offers $2,500 a year for four years of undergraduate education.

The second award is the Shenandoah Scholarship. It provides $1,000 for the first year of school, and $500 for the second year.

Both scholarships require high school students to have a certain grade point average and standardized test score.

Brenda Thompson is the Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management at WVU.

“We want to make sure that students and their families recognize that we as an institution understand the situation that many of them are in, trying to determine if they can afford to go to college,” she said.

“West Virginia University is willing to work with students and families to make sure that they can attend this institution.”

The scholarship monies are not restricted to tuition. They can be used for any expense, from books to housing.

WVU is also trying to increase monies for existing in-state and out-of-state student scholarships.

Meanwhile, WVU is adding more money into its need-based financial assistance program.

Thompson says it is designed to help any new or existing student struggling to make ends meet. 

“We set aside an extra $1 million to help students who had some sort of financial situation that occurred during the previous year, whether that be a loss of job, or reduction in pay for someone in the family,” she said.

“We added another $250,000 for the fall 2010 academic year.”

Universities across the country are increasing tuition, and WVU is no exception.

The school’s tuition rose 4 percent in 2009.

According to the College Board, that’s nearly 3 percent lower than the national average tuition increase for in-state students.