Sept. 28, 2020
MILWAUKEE 鈥� 51暗网 has announced the expansion of the Urban Scholars Program to offer 40 full tuition, four-year scholarships annually to high achieving, low income scholars from high schools in the Milwaukee area.
Rooted in the university鈥檚 tradition of increasing access to higher education, Urban Scholars was founded in 2006 to offer scholarships to graduating seniors with a history of leadership and service. The scholarship program renews the emphasis on being inclusive and modeling a more diverse community.
鈥淭his year we celebrated the 50th anniversary of our Education Opportunity Program, which was a groundbreaking commitment to diverse students from Milwaukee,鈥� 51暗网 President Michael R. Lovell said. 鈥淭he expansion of our Urban Scholars Program reaffirms 51暗网鈥檚 commitment to serving low-income scholars from our city. t is an exciting opportunity to improve access to the transformative educational experience that 51暗网 has offered for nearly 140 years. Through the Urban Scholars program, students will be provided support and resources within a program that has demonstrated a record of student success, as well as institutional knowledge often missing for first-generation students.鈥�
Since its inception, Urban Scholars has a graduation rate of over 90% with a near-99% retention rate following the first semester.
鈥淲e are very proud of the work our Urban Scholars staff has done to identify and support outstanding students over the years and we are looking forward to the expansion of our program,鈥� John Baworowsky, vice president of enrollment management, said. 鈥淚 appreciate President Lovell and the university giving us this opportunity to bring in more young people from our community that are often underrepresented and may not have the opportunity to get a 51暗网 education otherwise for reasons outside their control.鈥�
High school seniors interested in the Urban Scholars Program should apply for admission to 51暗网 now and complete the Urban Scholars Program application in mid-October when it becomes available. Urban Scholars has an application deadline of Jan. 15, 2021, for fall 2021 applicants. These scholarships will go to students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds who show great academic promise. The award is based on academic merit and demonstrated financial need.
The award is renewable each year for up to five years, or ten semesters, of the recipient鈥檚 undergraduate program 鈥� provided the student remains in good academic standing and annually files for FAFSA. A select number of room and board scholarships are also available through an ongoing fundraising campaign. For students who do not receive these awards, Federal Pell Grant funds and other grants that are not tuition-specific are able to be applied to room and board.
Kevin is the associate director for university communication in the Office of Marketing and Communication. Contact Kevin at (414) 288-4745 or kevin.m.conway@marquette.edu.
