NC State pledges help
for low-income students

Pack Promise will provide aid, support, mentoring, jobs

About 400 NC State freshmen from low-income families will have 100 percent of their financial aid needs met this fall thanks to Pack Promise, a student success plan that will be formally announced today at the NC State Board of Trustees meeting.

Pack Promise will provide for 100 percent of the financial aid needs for new freshman from families whose income is at or below 150 percent of poverty level (using the federal definition). But, more than financial aid, Pack Promise is a plan for student success, delivering additional academic support and advising, mentoring and work-study jobs connected to undergraduate research.

Between 350 to 400 Pack Promise students will be admitted per year, bringing the number to as many as 1,600 when the program is fully functioning in four years. With the addition of about $1.6 million to $2 million in new aid, the university has committed to making more financial aid available than ever before.

In guaranteeing to meet the financial aid needs for these new freshmen, NC State is joining a growing national trend that includes about a dozen universities. Beyond aid, NC State will take steps to ensure student success and timely graduation, providing:

• Additional academic support and advising, including ensuring class availability to maintain appropriate progress toward graduation

• Undergraduate research positions funded through the Federal Work-Study program for Pack Promise students to have additional avenues of interaction with faculty and better engage in the academic mission

• Financial aid counseling to, among other things, ensure Pack Promise students remain eligible and do not miss critical financial aid filing dates

• Mentoring assistance that will help students make the adjustment to college life

“NC State’s mission has always been to extend a quality education to the broadest range of deserving students, regardless of income or need level,” said Chancellor James L. Oblinger. “Pack Promise reaffirms our longstanding commitment to access and academic success. The promise fulfills the mission.”

Oblinger said Pack Promise is particularly timely given a record number of freshman applications and that NC State was recently ranked second nationally on Princeton Review’s list of best values in higher education.

“There is no doubt that the rare blend of an education that is both high quality and affordable has created a high demand for admission to NC State,” Oblinger said. “We believe this approach to student success is something that is uniquely NC State, that speaks to our very mission, and that will pay great dividends for the state and university.”

Provost Larry Nielsen said the mentoring and advising aspects of the student-success plan should not be underestimated.

“NC State attracts many first-generation college students who’ve had no family history of success in higher education and in many cases do not have the same support mechanisms of students from families with a history of college graduates,” Nielsen said. “It’s important that we help them make the transition to college life and build the supports that will help them graduate on time, which is in itself a cost-saving measure.”

Projections based on currently enrolled students indicate that about one-third of the Pack Promise students who have already been accepted and enrolled for the fall will be first-generation college students.

The anticipated aid package for 2006-07 will be about $14,000 for an in-state student and $27,000 for an out-of-state student for the year. The portion of each student’s aid package devoted to loans will be no more than $2,500; work-study will account for $1,500. Work-study positions will be linked to undergraduate research opportunities, providing students with additional opportunities to work closely with world-class research faculty.

Posted April 28, 2006

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