"This waiver is an all-out effort from Edison State to minimize the disruption of COVID-19 on a student's college career," Edison State President Doreen Larson said in a statement. "Our goal is to remove any hesitation for high school graduates from immediately continuing into a college program. This is our investment in our families, our community, and the future of our state."
Edison State officials did not immediately respond to questions about enrollment levels or the financial impact of the move on the school.
State and national data have shown that college applications and financial aid applications are both down this spring. The Ohio Department of Higher Education listed Edison State with 4,203 students in fall 2020, its third straight year with an increase.
With campuses in Piqua, Greenville, Eaton, and Troy, Edison State offers associates degrees in more than 40 academic programs along with dozens of career certificates requiring fewer credit hours. They focus on career pathways in business, engineering and manufacturing, health sciences, information technology, and social and public services.
School officials said the 100-percent tuition waiver is available to all graduating high school seniors in the school's service area (Miami, Preble, Darke and Shelby counties), including homeschool students in that area. It's also available to graduates whose high school has a College Credit Plus partnership with Edison State.
To participate, students must fill out the FAFSA financial aid form and accept any grants or scholarships they are awarded. After application, students must enroll at Edison State in the year immediately after their graduation and stay enrolled for the fall and spring semesters.
If they meet those steps, the waiver will cover remaining costs. Edison documents say "the waiver review will continue until degree completion or the completion of 70 credit hours."
According to the school's website, a full-time student currently pays about $2,500 per semester for 15 credit hours for tuition and base-level fees (general, technical, activity and career service fees). The waiver would cover all of that.
Students would be responsible only for the cost of textbooks, any course-specific lab/material fees, and a few smaller fees, such as online and web-flex course fees of $13 per credit hour.
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