New WKU program would help low-income students afford costs of higher ed 

NATALIE JORDAN, The Daily News, njordan@bgdailynews.com

Published: January 21, 2007

Western Kentucky University is looking for options to sustain an assistance program that would allow low-income students to attend college. 

“We agree this would be good for Western students and the commonwealth,” said Bob Edwards, assistant vice president of university relations. “But it has some significant cost to it, and we want to make sure we can sustain it.” 

Much like the University of Louisville’s Cardinal Covenant, a program that will go into effect fall 2007, WKU’s program would make college attainable for the 22.6 percent of Kentucky families living at or below the federal poverty level. The program is designed to make up the difference in cost after financial aid is subtracted from tuition and fees. 

But significant details still need to be worked out before Western can move forward with the concept, Edwards said. “We are 90 percent sure this will happen here, but it is the financial ramifications we’re concerned with,” he said. “We have to reconvene and discuss.” Edwards said he and other university officials need to do analyze income levels and eligibility for financial aid. They also have to figure out what will be covered – such as tuition and fees, room, board and books – under the assistance program, which has the working title of Top it Off. 

U of L’s program covers direct costs: tuition, books, room and board. But, Edwards said, if the university copied U of L’s program, it would cost the university around $1.5 million. “And we can’t do it to that level,” he said. “This is going to be a recurring cost, so it will double and triple. We have to take a look at how this will impact the university’s budget. We have to go back and resolve these details before it’s put into place.” 

Edwards said the program will assist incoming freshmen and transfer students, not students who already attend the university that are categorized as low-income and high-need. The program will be limited to in-state students. 

“This program would make college accessible to Kentuckians, and the more Kentuckians that can earn a bachelor’s degree is a benefit not only to themselves but the commonwealth,” he said. “The more Kentuckians earn a degree, the more this state’s intellectual capacity is increased. And the more highly educated our work force, the more better choices employers have of employees.”  Tuition for full-time, in-state students is $2,976, which is subject to a 9.5 percent increase in the fall. 

“This is the direction the president wants us to explore, but this has to be fiscally sound,” Edwards said. “We have to go back and look at the criteria, and make sure our data is correct and what our options are. We’re making sure our calculations and projections are right.  “We want to make sure we have adequate resources to sustain a program like this.”