When sophomore Andie Mitchell heard about a late-breaking $750 tuition increase, she called financial aid for help. In two weeks, staff members recalculated grant, scholarship and loan information to help almost 8,000 Wolfpack students, including Mitchell, pay for school.
Political science major Ericka Aiken will graduate with no debt, armed with a slew of offers from some of the nation's top law schools. She, along with 84 of her fellow graduates, is part of the inaugural class of NC State's Pack Promise program, which guarantees qualifying students 100 percent of financial aid requirements.
At a time when families are more worried than ever about the cost of college, NC State’s Pack Promise is helping approximately 1,000 new and continuing students get the education of their dreams. For families with limited financial resources, Pack Promise covers up to nine semesters of college, using a combination of scholarships, grants, federal work-study jobs and need-based loans of no more than $2,500 per year.
Going to a university with three times as many students as her hometown’s entire population meant a big change for Crystal Stroman. But after a 36-hour orientation to campus life – registering for classes, staying overnight in a residence hall, meeting faculty and staff, and making friends – she felt eager to join NC State’s largest-ever freshman class. "I’m more excited now than nervous," she said.