Changes to the A+ Plus program will create out of pocket expenses for qualifying students.
Sofia Sanchez Salcedo
News Editor
Changes cost students
The A+ program, a scholarship program for qualifying Missouri residents, has recently made changes that affect a significant percentage of Crowder College students and their families.
Sarah Horine, A+ coordinator for Crowder, stated in an e-mail earlier in the semester that the changes to the A+ program were much less drastic than expected. Starting this semester, students in the program will be required to pay for one credit hour out-of-pocket.
For most students, this hike in costs amounts to 93 dollars per semester, with the exception being: Nursing, Occupational Therapy Assistant, or Veterinary Technology, for which charges would increase to 109 dollars per semester, based on Spring 2015 costs.
A+ recipients receive scholarship money into their students accounts after all other Financial Aid has been applied. For this reason, the amount of students for whom this decision negatively impacts their education is still hard to quantify.
“I used my A+ for my summer classes and I was really happy about how much it helped me,” said Rebecca Hargrove, a sophomore Graphic Design major.
Key to economic success
State-funded programs like A+ have a great impact in the attendance of colleges and universities around the country. In his “State of the State,” Missouri Governor Jay Nixon stated that “education is the great equalizer,” and that it is key to the economic future of our State.
Governor Jay Nixon talks about education during his 2015 “State of the State Speech”.
For more information on the Missouri A+ Program and student eligibility, readers may visit the following link: http://dhe.mo.gov/ppc/grants/aplusscholarship.php
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