Stay Close, Go Far: A last-dollar promise scholarship program for Lynchburg’s graduates
While the success of the Future Centers is tremendously important, it is only one rung on the ladder to producing a thriving workforce and an engaged, well-educated population of young people. Affordability is one of the most significant barriers our students face in their educational journeys. Federal aid helps to cover only a portion of the cost for higher education, which impacts the ability of our first generation or economically disadvantaged students to go to college. And, the costs of college and technical education continue to rise exponentially.
Remarkably, data collected in our Future Centers since 2013 shows that the average last-dollar financial gap which prevents students from pursuing post-secondary education is around $3,000 per student per year. This means that students have already applied for government aid and scholarships using the Future Centers as their guides. But, the gap that remains is an insurmountable barrier for students, especially those from economically disadvantaged families.
With a relatively small per-student grant from Beacon of Hope, Lynchburg’s graduates can move on to higher education, invest in themselves, and invest in our collective economic future.