New program at Blackburn College keeps college education affordable

CARLINVILLE (Heartland Newsfeed) — A new program at Blackburn College will now meet financial needs of both in-state students, as well as those students from throughout the United States.

The new program, called the Blackburn Promise, has generated much interest at the college, a nationally-recognized liberal arts school located 60 miles northeast of St. Louis.

Blackburn is already well-known for its student work-study program, one of only eight schools in the nation and the only program that is student-managed. Blackburn’s director of marketing and publications, Peter Oswald, says the new plan “goes to the heart of the College’s mission.”

“The cost of a college education is a concern to many people,” continued Oswald. “The Blackburn Promise provides the opportunity to receive a high-quality education to prepare students to become leaders in the workplace and in their communities.”

Under the program, the college will recognize the cost of education for the student based on the estimated family contribution (EFC), which is calculated by the FAFSA application for financial aid.

“Because of escalating costs, students at most schools have to come up with more money out of pocket, because their financial aid packages don’t cover the difference between tuition and their EFC,” said Oswald. “The Blackburn Promise provides a simple and equitable way to assign costs for a college education here, and will completely fulfill each student’s financial need.”

“If the student’s EFC is zero, then the student won’t have to pay anything for tuition at Blackburn,” continued Oswald. “If the EFC is $8,000, then that’s all the student will have to pay.” The difference in tuition costs will be covered from Blackburn’s endowment and other funding sources.

Less than six percent of schools nationwide offer a similar plan, both of which are also in Illinois — Northwestern University and the University of Chicago — with other schools in the nation include several Ivy League schools such as Brown, Cornell, Harvard, and Yale, as well as other liberal arts schools such as Amherst, Bryn Mawr and Williams.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for young people to obtain a top-quality education at a low cost,” remarked Oswald. “The mission of the College throughout its 180 years of history has been to provide affordable access to higher education, and the Blackburn Promise addresses that goal.”

“We have a rigorous academic program at Blackburn, and the Work Program gives students the tools they need to advance in their careers,” concluded Oswald. “Now, Blackburn is providing more opportunities for a great education to students from around the nation.”

Jake Leonard, Executive Editor-In-Chief

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Jake Leonard, a broadcast media and journalism veteran, is the editor-in-chief of Heartland Newsfeed. Leonard is also GM and program director of Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network, wrestling editor and contributing writer for Ambush Sports, a contributing writer for My Sports Vote and Midwest Sports Network, and a former contributor to Bleacher Report and Overtime Heroics. He resides at home in Nokomis, Ill. with his dog Buster.

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