Contact: Bob Spieldenner
(804) 718-9443 (cell)
bobspieldenner@schev.edu
September 6, 2024
For immediate release
Richmond - The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia is distributing up to $200,000 in scholarships to college freshman who recently graduated from high school in Brunswick County and the cities of Hopewell and Petersburg.
Approximately 80 students will receive up to $2,500 for their first year of college. The exact number of students and funding amount will not be finalized until December as students have until later in the semester to apply for the scholarship.
“This is an important opportunity to support first-year students as they’re pursuing a bachelor’s or associate degree or high-skilled training and help students from low-income families access the transformative potential of higher education,” said Scott Fleming, SCHEV director. “As they pursue their educational and career goals, we are also helping to strengthen Virginia’s workforce and ensure opportunities for more of our students.”
The scholarships are part of SCHEV’s Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) initiative, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The mission of GEAR UP is to significantly increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.
The three school divisions were chosen primarily because of their communities’ high poverty levels and historically low numbers of students who pursue higher education. In addition to scholarship eligibility, the students received extensive college preparatory services from the Virginia College Advising Corps prior to high school graduation.
More than 65% of the students receiving these scholarships are the first in their family to attend college. The top three institutions they are attending are Virginia State University, Old Dominion University and Virginia Commonwealth University.
GEAR UP Virginia also has a separate multi-year initiative which provides skills development and college preparatory services to students in 12 school divisions. It began in 2021 with a cohort of middle-school students, who are now entering their sophomore year in high school. The support will continue through their first year of college.
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