| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 67.41 |
| Liaison | Jeremy King |
| Submission Date | March 23, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Denison University
PA-8: Affordability and Access
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.38 / 4.00 |
Jeremy
King Campus Sustainability Coordinator Office of the President |
Does the institution have policies and programs in place to make it accessible and affordable to low-income students?:
A brief description of any policies and programs to minimize the cost of attendance for low-income students:
Denison continues to have a need blind admissions policy. When students are accepted for admission to Denison, they are evaluated for merit scholarship eligibility. Approximately 93% of the students accepted for admissions are awarded one of the merit scholarships ranging from $8,000 to $46,000 annually for 8 semesters. Knowing that a portion of the tuition can be covered for 4 years, provided the student maintains the required GPA, can help a low-income family begin to plan for the 4 year costs of college.
If students apply for need based aid, the first source to meet federal need is the merit scholarship, if applicable. In addition to the merit awards, Denison attempts to meet federal need with a combination of federal, state, and institutional funds. In some cases of very high federal need, Denison is unable to meet 100% of this need. If students receive outside scholarships, these awards can help meet unmet federal need.
Denison’s generous gift aid program (merit scholarships and need based grants) was funded with $57 million in institutional grants and scholarships in 2014-15 and will exceed $59 this year.
A brief description of any programs to equip the institution’s faculty and staff to better serve students from low-income backgrounds:
A brief description of any programs to prepare students from low-income backgrounds for higher education:
A brief description of the institution's scholarships for low-income students:
Denison scholarships are awarded by the Admissions Office and are based on merit. Because Denison practices need blind admissions, the Admissions Office staff does not know anything about the income levels of the applicants. Denison’s Financial Aid Office awards need based grant funds to low income students. Eligibility for these awards is based on the information filed on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
A brief description of any programs to guide parents of low-income students through the higher education experience:
Both the Admissions Office and the Financial Aid Office make available to parents of low-income students a variety of resources that explain the financial aid process from start to finish. These resources link parents with FAFSA forms, as well as calculators that help parents to assess true costs associated with attending Denison University. Both offices have extensive websites that detail the application and financial aid processes and link to available scholarships, grants, loans, available to in-coming students. During June Orientation, parents are given the opportunity to attend informational sessions relating to the college experience and to meet one-on-one with Financial Aid representatives.
A brief description of any targeted outreach to recruit students from low-income backgrounds:
Denison’s financial aid staff is actively involved in the following outreach activities that are designed to help encourage students from low-income background to consider pursuing college after completing high school by educating them about the resources available to them to make college affordable:
Financial Aid Night Presentations—
The Director of Financial Aid does several presentations annually in central Ohio high schools that have large enrollments of low-income students. These presentations focus on the process of applying for aid and provide questions for the students and parents to ask at the respective colleges to which they will apply. Students and parents are encouraged to apply to colleges with a variety of costs because a higher cost school can be more affordable because it often awards more financial aid.
Call to College in Newark, Ohio-
This organization focuses its efforts on assuring that qualified students in Newark High School from low-income backgrounds have the opportunity to pursue higher education. The Financial Aid staff works closely with this organization to provide presentations when needed and to work with the Call to College counselors to encourage students to apply to Denison.
College Goal Sunday-
All of the Financial Aid staff volunteer to participate in this nationally organized annual event that takes place on a Sunday in February. This event is designed to provide opportunities for families and students to actually complete the FAFSA with the assistance of financial aid professionals that volunteer to the event. The college counselors at the sites hosting this event are appreciative of our willingness to help and they will encourage their students to include Denison in their list of schools to which they apply.
A brief description of other admissions policies or programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students:
A brief description of other financial aid policies or programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students:
A brief description of other policies and programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students not covered above:
Does the institution have policies and programs in place to support non-traditional students?:
A brief description of any scholarships provided specifically for part-time students:
Denison has very few non-traditional students on campus. However, we do have a Licking County Scholars program that allows area high school students to take courses for credit at Denison for approximately $300/course.
The Community Scholars program allows any Licking County resident age 30 and over to audit a course for $150.
In addition, Denison participates in the Yellow Ribbon program to help U.S. Veterans attend college.
A brief description of any onsite child care facilities, partnerships with local facilities, and/or subsidies or financial support to help meet the child care needs of students:
A brief description of other policies and programs to support non-traditional students:
Denison considers itself to be a residential liberal arts college, however it works with part-time students and veterans on issues of housing and commuting to campus. In the past, Denison has successfully found ways to provide viable housing options for non-traditional students.
Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (accessibility and affordability indicators)?:
Indicators that the institution is accessible and affordable to low-income students::
| Percentage (0-100) | |
| The percentage of entering students that are low-income | 19.50 |
| The graduation/success rate for low-income students | 76.30 |
| The percentage of student financial need met, on average | 92 |
| The percentage of students graduating with no interest-bearing student loan debt | 50 |
The percentage of students that participate in or directly benefit from the institution’s policies and programs to support low-income and non-traditional students:
The website URL where information about the institution's affordability and access programs is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Denison maintains an internal password protected website where most of this information resides. Public access web pages have limited information on this topic.
Denison maintains an internal password protected website where most of this information resides. Public access web pages have limited information on this topic.
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.