HOLLAND, Mich. (WWJ) -- A small Christian college in West Michigan says it’s turning toward a “pay-it-forward” tuition model as a plan to ease financial burdens for students.
Hope College President Matt Scogin announced Wednesday the small liberall arts school in Holland will begin the program -- known as Hope Forward -- this fall with 22 students who will attend school without paying tuition, with hopes to expand the program in the future.
Plans aren’t for a “free tuition” model, but rather to be “tuition-free,” by eliminating large up-front tuition bills and counting on graduates to make a generous commitment to pay it forward with gifts to grow the school’s endowment after they leave the school.
Hope students will still be required to pay room and board, currently about $11,000, and in theory will be in a better position financially post-grad to donate to the school, which has about 3,100 undergrad students.
Speaking to WWJ Wednesday, Scogin says he’s not so much worried about graduates following through on paying it forward, as he is about the financial burden current students graduate with.
“What we’re more worried about is the current model, which asks students to pay an extraordinary amount of money up front, at essentially the poorest moment of their life,” Scogin told WWJ. “We don’t like that, so this model is built around generosity and gratitude so that students will still pay for their education, but they’re paying through gifts, rather than paying a bill up-front.”
Wednesday’s announcement is the start of what Scogin calls “a long journey,” but the vision is for the school to expand the program to become a national leader in accessibility for students.
“We’re going to essentially fully fund tuition by raising money in the endowment, so it will take a long time to reach this vision.”
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