FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 1, 2007
Contact: Tonya Strong-Charles
216.397.1958
tstrong@jcu.edu

John Carroll Announces New Initiative to Help
Ohio’s Low-Income Families
Afford College

University Heights, OH- Fortifying its commitment to make a quality college education more affordable, John Carroll University announced a new financial aid strategy today. This initiative will make it possible for families making under $40,000 to enroll their incoming freshman tuition-free, effective for the academic year 2007-2008. Therefore, this plan could greatly alleviate financial worries for current high school seniors who have applied to John Carroll and met the university’s high academic standards. Tuition, along with room and board fees this year total $33,000 at John Carroll, a premier private institution of higher education.

Mission
“We need to confront the needs of the region, make a John Carroll education more affordable, and shape young people of character who will lead and serve,” said JCU President, Rev. Robert L. Niehoff, S.J. “John Carroll must continue to be a campus that is conscious of the demographic, economic and social challenges in Ohio. We cannot espouse these ideals without first also confronting the challenges that income and affordability play in the lives of our students,” added Niehoff.

Further emphasizing the importance of the university’s mission, students receiving this assistance from John Carroll will be expected to participate in community service projects sponsored through the university’s Center for Community Service. It is a process, embraced by our graduates, that stems from the JCU Jesuit and Catholic mission.

The John Carroll Commitment
“Nationally, students from low-income families tend to rule out private education as a viable option very early in their college selection process,” said Brian G. Williams, vice president for enrollment. “This new commitment will allow us to help families get beyond sticker shock in their planning process and see the possibility and the promise of a John Carroll education in a very compelling way.”

After factoring in a family’s contribution (on average $2,000) and applying federal and state aid, this new initiative will translate to an average JCU scholarship/grant commitment of nearly $20,000 per year for each qualifying student. This financial assistance opportunity is renewable each year of the student’s enrollment at the university. In total, John Carroll’s financial investment will average $80,000 per student during their undergraduate career.

Summary: Eligibility

• This initiative is available to new, first-time undergraduate students at John Carroll University who enroll for the fall 2007 semester.
• Students must meet all necessary admission requirements.
• Students demonstrating satisfactory progression to degree completion in 4 years are able to renew these aid awards.
• Students must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), meet all citizenship requirements, financial aid eligibility standards, and be considered dependent on their families for financial support.
• Families must have a total parent income of less than $40,000.
• All federal and state financial grant assistance forms must be completed and received by March 1, 2007.

Please visit the John Carroll University Admission website for more information.

JCU Financial Aid representatives are available to help qualifying families fill out the proper financial aid forms.

John Carroll University, located in Cleveland, Ohio, is a liberal arts university grounded in the Jesuit, Catholic tradition. The university has some 3,350 plus undergraduates and just over 750 graduate students. The U.S. News & World Report’s 2006 annual college guide ranks John Carroll University among the top 10 master’s-degree granting universities in the Midwest and first in average graduation rate. Originally founded as St. Ignatius College in 1886, the university was renamed in 1923 to honor America’s first Catholic bishop, John Carroll of Maryland. John Carroll is one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities located in the United States.

###