MOORHEAD – In the fall of 2024, Concordia College began a new scholarship program called the Concordia Promise, offering to cover tuition fees for incoming new students from any state whose family had an adjusted gross income of under $90,000
“The program came about at least in part because of the North Star Promise in Minnesota,” said Ben Iverson, vice president for enrollment
The North Star Promise is a similar program that covers tuition for Minnesota students making less than $80,000 at Minnesota public institutions
“Concordia competes against several public institutions in Minnesota, so the Concordia Promise helped level the playing field,” Iverson said. “It was the right thing to do both to be competitive but also to help make Concordia more affordable for students and families.
In the first year of the program, Concordia has seen an increase in enrollment.
“We are expecting nearly 600 new domestic and international first-year and transfer students for Fall 2024” Iverson said.
The number of new students, first years and transfer, in fall 2023 was 472, showing an increase of roughly 128 newly enrolled students.
“We’re very excited about the momentum [and] increased interest in Concordia for this past year,” said Brandon Wente, associate director of admission at Concordia, “We hope that continuing with Concordia Promise for Fall 2025, in addition to some of the new majors and co-curricular programs we have in store, will continue to drive that momentum and interest.”
Wente regularly works with students from the Twin Cities area. He explained that many of the students he talks to believe that a private education is too expensive, so getting the word out about scholarships has been a big focus.
“A lot of the recruiting and a lot of the promotion around Concordia Promise in the last year has really been working with high school guidance counselor, making sure they know we have this program because they are a little more in tune [with students]” said Wente.
If a student is deemed eligible for the Concordia Promise, the scholarship will be applied to cover the cost of tuition not covered by other scholarships or grants. The student then only has to cover the costs of room and board, along with supplies.
“I knew right off the bat, Concordia was the place for me,” said Erika Knapp, a freshman studying vocal music education. “But I also knew Concordia is a private college and that’s really expensive.”
The Concordia Promise scholarship can help ease the financial burden of private education for students.
“I qualified for the Concordia promise and all the stress of not knowing how to pay for college went away,” Knapp said.
Iverson noted that the program aimed to spread the word about Concordia’s financial aid, even for students who do not qualify for the Concordia Promise.
“Some families don’t consider private colleges because of the sticker price,” Iverson said. “Concordia Promise helped us change the conversation about affordability in general.”
Overall, this program can provide new opportunities to people who thought higher education at a private university was out of reach.
“I’m excited that I can do something I love without having to pay a ton for it,” said Knapp.
Iverson and Wente both spoke about the Concordia promise with hopes that it will impact the college community by continuing to increase enrollment and making the Cobber experience accessible to a wider variety of people.
“I think that having more students on campus this fall is making campus feel more vibrant – more students involved in clubs, attending sporting events and concerts – all of that contributes to a fun and exciting college experience,” Iverson said.
Be First to Comment