The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
UConn suspends free tuition program for low-income families
University of Connecticut officials announced the school is suspending its Connecticut Commitment program, which offers free tuition to families making less than $ 50,000 a year.
UConn President Tom Katsouleas made the announcement during a virtual Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday morning.
“Pausing this program is the most difficult decision I’ve had to make since I got here,” Katsouleas said.
The program launched last fall and was available to any in-state student with a family, who received free tuition if their annual income was less than $ 50,000. The program was funded through philanthropy.
While the program will be paused, Katsouleas said the university still offers various financial aid options.
He said 260 students have benefited from the program
since its inception.
“The program will cost about $ 700,000 this year and, at least as it stands today, its cost was estimated to increase with each new class to a total of about $ 5 million by year four,” Kat
souleas said. “We have sufficient funds to cover year one.”
“No matter what, enough must be raised to continue to support the cohort of students who arrived this fall over each of the next four years,” he later added.
He said funding the program through another avenue other than philanthro
py could be possible, but is not feasible under the current budget.
Katsouleas reassured students that financial aid options are still available for those in need, adding that the university believes the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the economy will likely compound the financial needs of current
and incoming students.
He said the university will reassess this program, but added that “given the uncertainty we are facing, I cannot make any prediction about what the future holds for the program. What is certain is that we will continue the work of raising critical dollars to support our neediest students.”