Full Rides For Freshmen
On March 4, Whittier College introduced the Poet Pledge Scholarship on the College Instagram. According to the press release, this is part of the College’s “commitment to affordable higher education for high-achieving local students.” The Poet Pledge Scholarship is a four-year, full-tuition scholarship for admitted seniors from select local high schools who demonstrate financial need. This is following the announcement that the College would be raising tuition for the 2024–25 school year by 2.99 percent.
Interim President Kristine Dillon stated, “Students with the highest need will be the most impacted by the changes to the Free Application for federal student aid and the resulting delays. The FAFSA problems are an issue of equitable access to higher education. We believe that the Poet Pledge will ease that access for our bright, local minds.” See Financial Aid Postponed for 2024 on the Quaker Campus Medium page if you would like to learn more about the current FAFSA complications.
To qualify for the Poet ledge Scholarship, students must already be admitted to Whittier College as an incoming first-time, first-year student, and must maintain a 3.0 GPA or above throughout college.
Additionally, because Poet Pledge is rewarded based on demonstrated financial need, students must submit a 2024–25 FAFSA form, have a Student Aid Index (SAI) — an eligibility index number that a college’s financial aid office uses to determine how much federal student aid a student would receive — of zero or less, and qualify for the Cal Grant A — an award intended for low- to middle-income students with minimum of 3.0 high school GPA.
Furthermore, eligible students must be a US citizen or a permanent resident, as well as a resident of California and a graduate from one of 12 local high schools. The eligible high schools are as follows: Armenian Mesrobian High School, California High School, El Rancho High School, Frontier High School, La Serna High School, Pioneer High School, Robert Salazar High School, Santa Fe High School, Sierra Vista High School, St. Paul High School, Whittier Christian High School, and Whittier High School. Homeschooled students living in Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs, and Whittier are also eligible to receive the Poet Pledge Scholarship.
Interim Vice President of Enrollment Ken Woods stated, “This initiative reflects our deep commitment to nurturing the next generation of homegrown leaders, thinkers, and innovators who will shape the future.”
In a further interview with the Quaker Campus, Woods clarified that the, “Poet Pledge is not related to the recent tuition increase but is rather a commitment to our local students who have worked hard in high school and need financial support to make their college dream a reality. We were also motivated to assist local students who are struggling due to the FAFSA complications this year and work with them in person through Poet Pledge.”
President Dillon was not available to provide a comment.
The Poet Pledge Scholarship will go into effect immediately for eligible Fall ’24 applicants.
Photo courtesy of Emily Henderson / Quaker Campus
