STORRS, Conn. (WTIC Radio)—The University of Connecticut is temporarily pausing the Connecticut Commitment program, a scholarship program for low-income students, due to a fundraising shortfall and financial uncertainty amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
During a Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday morning, UConn President Thomas Katsouleas said though the university has the funds to keep its commitment to the program's first cohort of students, the program will not be offered next fall to a new cohort.
Connecticut Commitment covers the tuition for up to four years of any in-state, full-time undergraduate student coming from a qualifying family with a household income of $50,000 or less. The program also covers tuition for transferring low-income students for up to two years.
The first cohort has about 260 students who will continue to receive their funds through the program.
Fundraising will continue to ensure the first cohort of students will continue getting their funds for the next four years, Katsouleas said.
Difficulty in funding the program comes amid the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Katsouleas, the program will cost about $700,000 this year for its first cohort. The program was estimated to cost about $5 million by the fourth year before the pandemic hit.
The university made good progress with a $1 million donation from Synchrony, a financial services company, in December of 2019, Katsouleas said, but since then, fundraising for the program has lagged.
Given the unstable state of the economy nationwide, it's uncertain if the university will be able to cover the costs of future cohorts.
"There's a good chance we will see a significant surge in the number of students who qualify for Connecticut Commitment which could potentially make it more costly than originally envisioned," Katsouleas said.
While the program is placed on hold, the university will reassess the program going forward. However, given the uncertainty the university is facing due to the pandemic, Katsouleas said he cannot make any predictions about what the future holds for the program.
"Pausing the program is the hardest decision I've had to make since arriving here. While unfortunate and regrettable, I believe that this is a prudent and necessary choice to make at this time," Katsouleas said.
The university remains fully committed to helping low-income students, Katsouleas and UConn Board of Trustees members said.
"We'll do everything in our power to try to address [the financial needs of students] with every resource we have, and with every resource we can find," UConn Board of Trustees Chairman Dan Toscano said.
