MU Chancellor Alexander Cartwright announces scholarships to increase access and affordability during ‘100 Days’ address

Scholarships highlight the university’s commitment to lowering the cost of education while encouraging children of alumni and those from border states to attend Mizzou

November 15th, 2017

COLUMBIA, Mo. – During an address marking his first 100 days as the University of Missouri’s top leader, Chancellor Alexander Cartwright today announced new scholarships for students from neighboring states and the expansion of scholarships for children of alumni.

The Border State Scholars award will reduce out-of-state tuition by $2,500 for students with an ACT of 25 or higher coming from one of Missouri’s eight border states: Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma or Tennessee. The Black and Gold Scholarship expands MU’s out-of-state scholarships for children of alumni. For new out-of-state, legacy students beginning in fall ’18, the university will offer a $7,500 scholarship with a 25 or 26 ACT. Out-of-state, legacy students who have a 27 ACT or above will continue to receive a scholarship that will reduce tuition to in-state levels.

“I have witnessed firsthand the transformational power of higher education, and I am committed to doing everything I can to ensure the next generation has access to the excellent education offered at Mizzou,” Cartwright said. “Mizzou is already an outstanding value by many measures, and our students borrow 25 percent less than the national average to pay for college. However, we must continue to move forward on very practical fronts to make higher education more accessible and to give a higher return on our students’ investments.”

Mizzou invests about $12 million per year in need-based financial aid to promote access and affordability in higher education. MU students graduate, on average, with $8,000 less in student debt than the national average.

Vice Provost for Enrollment Management Pelema Morrice said the new scholarships will increase interest in the university amid an increasingly competitive higher education climate.

“We know that affordability and value are important factors for prospective students and their families,” Morrice said. “These new scholarships will help Mizzou be competitive while offering a world-renowned education.”

The scholarships were unveiled during Cartwright’s address to the university community titled “University for Missouri: A Commitment to Student Success.” Also during the speech, Cartwright highlighted the success of “the Missouri Method,” in which students gain real-world experience applying their education in professional and practical settings. He charged the Faculty Council to consider how such experiential learning—already common across MU’s schools and colleges—could be expanded to all students.

“Employers hire our graduates because they are known for their work ethic and their readiness for the job from day one,” Cartwright said. “Real-world experience gives our students the skills they need to succeed, and this is an opportunity all of our students should have.”

The announcement follows several affordability initiatives previously launched this year, including:

• A new ROTC scholarship that will cover room and board costs for the freshman year for incoming ROTC students who are national scholarship winners from the Army, Air Force, Navy or Marines.
• A reduction in the cost of Mizzou’s most common housing and dining plans.
• The Missouri Land Grant Compact, which covers the tuition gap for any Pell-eligible Missouri resident.
• Changes to student chargethat prevent students from accumulating debt for non-academic expenses.
• A textbook initiative encouraging Open Educational Resources (OER) in classes, as well as the AutoAccess option for textbooks at all four campuses. As a result, textbooks at the Mizzou Store this fall are, on average, 18 percent cheaper than they were in fall 2016.