UT to offer new scholarship program to help with living costs

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ? The University of Tennessee plans to offer a new scholarship program for low-income students that will help cover the cost of living and other expenses beyond tuition that pile up with a college education.

The grants, called Tennessee Pledge Scholarships, have been given out to 189 freshmen entering this fall, but next year school officials will advertise the scholarship to graduating high school seniors.

“Basically it’s to provide access to students who could succeed at UT and do well but who might not have had the funds to (come here),” said Jeff Gerkin, UT’s assistant dean and director of financial aid.

Students graduating from UT this spring left with an average debt of $22,548, Gerkin said. The new program is meant to bridge the gap for students who qualify for federal grants and state lottery scholarships, but may still be short of the money needed to live in Knoxville and attend school.

“When I first heard about it I was pretty much in disbelief,” said Andy Hudson, senior counselor at Sevier County High School. “It was almost too good to be true.”

The grants for this year’s freshmen range from $200 to $4,500. Gerkin said qualifying students collecting $7,000 in financial aid would receive $3,700 to cover their remaining costs.

Qualifying students must be from Tennessee, come from a family with an adjusted gross income of less than $27,000, be accepted to UT and file for financial aid on time.

“Low-income students bring a lot of diversity … to the institution,” said Richard Bayer, UT’s dean of enrollment services. “Many of them are first generation and many of them come from underrepresented counties here in Tennessee. It’s just the right thing to do.”