St. John's students continue their citizen journalism project.  Scroll below to read Jennifer Whitney's exploration of affordable college.

Laura Dudley, 23, a graduate student at Old Dominion University attended Thomas Nelson Community College in Hampton, VA for three semesters before transferring to Virginia Wesleyan College. Upon enrolling at Wesleyan, she received a scholarship through the college for $7,000 per year, which was based on her grade point average (GPA). In addition, she acquired a scholarship from United Methodist Ministers that paid for half her tuition.

From loans to scholarships to work study programs, students find ways to pay for college. But there is another way students make college affordable – they attend a local community college for a couple of years, then transfer to a larger, four-year institute to complete their bachelor’s degree. By doing this, many students save money on room and board along with many other fees.

Ricky Trogdon, 21, a junior at Old Dominion University transferred from Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke, VA to complete his bachelor’s degree in English. Trogdon said, “I’ve always been worried about how I would pay for my education since I don’t come from a wealthy family. That’s why I decided that attending Virginia Western for two years would be the most logical way to save money.” However, what happens when a student decides to move on to a four-year school? Where does the student get the money?

The Old Dominion University website has a tuition calculator that allows users to put in the estimated amount of tuition and breaks out the cost per semester. The estimation includes almost all fees. One can also add room and board, along with a meal plan, if needed, to the calculator. For a full-time, transfer student taking 12 credit hours and living on campus in one of the apartments, the estimated cost per semester is $5,557. After parking fees and additional fees, that total cost per school year is about $12,250.

According to collegeboard.com, nearly half a million students received awards in 2006 under two new federal student grant programs, and about three-quarters of full-time undergraduates received some form of financial aid. Of that financial aid, undergraduates received $97.1 billion in financial assistance. The largest source of aid to undergraduates is federal loans. The most widely used federal education loans are the Federal Stafford loans, Perkins loans, and Plus loans.

With enrollment in community colleges increasing, so is the need for financial assistance. According to the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) Dateline website, Tidewater Community College (TCC) saw an increase of enrollment by almost four percent during the 2006-07 school year. TCC served almost 38,000 students that year and estimates that they will serve at least 16,000 new students by the year 2009.

To deal with expected enrollment increases, the state's higher-education coordinating board and its community college system have created an incentive program for those who use a two-year community college as a stepping-stone for higher education at a four-year school. The incentive: The Two-Year College Transfer Grant Program.

The program was originally assembled to allow eligible students from low- and middle-income families who completed their associate degrees at a community college to continue to pay community-college tuition rates for up to three years at a public four-year institution. In effect, the program would have reduced in half tuition bills from colleges like ODU, VCU and Virginia. With the help of Virginia21, the first student-run organization in the country to work for student needs – specifically in such areas as tuition, campus safety and costs of books -- 7,400 students signed petitions to help bring about the Two-Year College Transfer Grant Program.

The program eventually was adopted by the state, but with significant compromise.  Instead of a 50 percent tuition reduction, it allows students who are currently enrolled in a Virginia two-year college to receive up to $2,000 per year when continuing to pursue their higher education at a four-year school. The program took effect as of the fall 2007 semester and will benefit those in the lower-middle class.  Steven Jones, the Deputy Director of Virginia21 and Virginia21PAC, said that they had “student leaders from all over the state call in to various delegates and senators to meet with their delegates to compromise on the bill.” He also believes that part of the reason as to why the program was passed is because of the student involvement over the past couple of years.

“Getting 7,000 plus signatures made a huge deal for passing this bill,” said Jones.

The grant states that each eligible student will receive a maximum annual standard award of $1,000 with an additional $1,000 for students enrolled in engineering, mathematics, nursing, teaching, or science. The program is limited to three years or 70 credit hours, and is heavily based on financial need and a continued GPA of 3.0.

Stephanie Ruffin, 18, a first-semester freshman at TCC, plans to transfer to Old Dominion University after she completes her Associate’s degree. She’d like to take advantage of the program but said, “I am not eligible as of now because this is my first semester, but I would definitely try to meet the GPA requirements.”

Jonathan Harris, 18, also a first-semester freshman at TCC, is among many students who are not eligible for the program. Although he is not eligible because of the financial need requirement, he said, “I plan to attend Norfolk State after TCC and with financial need, my stepfather is high-up in the military so we make enough. Probably too much for this program, but I feel that many who are eligible should work hard for the GPA requirement.”

Some private colleges, such as Virginia Wesleyan College, offer incentives to those who transfer in from a two-year school or another school. These incentives include the transfer scholarship and the Associate’s grant. The transfer scholarship gives students $3,000 to $8,000 per year. This scholarship requires 24 or more semester hours with a 3.0 or higher GPA and is renewable for up to 5 semesters. The Associate’s grant offers $7,000 to $10,000 per year, requires an Associate’s Degree with a 3.0 or higher GPA, and is based on a GPA scale.

So what steps should students take once they decide to make the transfer from junior college to a four-year institution?

One major step while attending a two-year school is to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the February 15 deadline if one is considering enrolling for the fall semester. By doing this, “students are considered for the full amount of financial aid they are eligible for,” said Jacquelyn Green, an Admissions Counselor at Old Dominion University.

One should also apply about six to eight months in advance to their school of choice before transferring. Green explained that she always encourages students to apply by their Early Action deadline. She said, “If students apply by this date, and are in the process of completing their transferable associate's degree, have at least a 3.5, and include an essay in their applications, they will be considered for any merit-based scholarships offered by the Office of Admissions.  These start at $4,000 per year for 2 years.”

Tanya Williams, Senior Associate Director of Admissions at Virginia Wesleyan College, encourages transfer students to look early at their options. “I encourage students to do well at the two-year institution so that they will be eligible for academic scholarships if the institution provides them,” she said.

Many students also find scholarship websites such as fastweb.com to be very helpful when looking for scholarships.

Because of the immense amounts of scholarships and grants given to Dudley, she is only $6,000 in debt. “I’m extremely grateful for the scholarships that I was fortunate enough to receive that have made my education possible and not a long term financial burden,” said Dudley.

Finally, student loans are inevitable part of the equation. Trogdon has taken out $12,000 in private loans to pay for his first year at Old Dominion and plans to take out another loan to pay for his upcoming senior year. He also said that he plans to pursue his studies in Library Science after he completes his Bachelor’s degree at Old Dominion, so more private loans are in his future.

 It’s important for students to find out what all their options are when looking for ways to pay for their education. Said Williams, “Since transfer students many times have other facets of their lives to balance, including family and employment, it’s a good idea for them to establish a workable plan for themselves.”

More information on the Two-Year College Transfer Grant Program is available at http://www.schev.edu.

More stories from St. John's students:

The Quiet Side of Sex, by Ashley Jarvis

Not just studying any more: Life in the Navy ROTC, by Krysten Warren

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