Randy Hanna: FSU PC Promise Scholarship puts higher education within reach | Guestview

At Florida State University Panama City, we are committed to student success. That’s why we created the FSU PC Promise Scholarship where many students can attend tuition free.

We believe that financial need should never hold you back from achieving your dreams of attaining a higher education. It is our goal to give hope to hard-working, high-achieving students in our region by eliminating financial uncertainty of earning a degree from a top university.

Through the generous support of community donors that share our commitment to our students, the FSU PC Promise Scholarship offers free tuition and fees for students in Northwest Florida with the greatest financial need. The scholarship removes the financial barriers to give students the resources to succeed.

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The FSU PC Promise Scholarship guarantees full-time undergraduates from Northwest Florida who have a combined personal and family adjusted gross income of $60,000 or less will not pay tuition and fees. The scholarship applies to new, returning and transfer students.

Gifts from our lead donor, the Chapman Family Foundation, our great partner the St. Joe Community Foundation, Larry and Pam Perry and another anonymous donor helped establish the foundation for the scholarship program. This would not be possible without their support.

With the FSU PC Promise Scholarship, we are telling students to focus on their academic pursuits and not to worry about their tuition.

The FSU PC Promise Scholarship provides support to residents in these counties

The FSU PC Promise Scholarship provides support to residents in Bay, Gulf, Liberty, Gadsden, Jackson, Calhoun, Franklin, Washington, Holmes, Walton, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Escambia counties who are pursuing a degree at FSU PC. Eligible students must enroll in at least 12 hours per semester, which may include online classes, and have a valid Free Application for Federal Student Aid on file at the time of the application. The FAFSA form identifies students as needing financial assistance. The scholarship also can be used for summer classes with at least six hours of enrollment.

The scholarship covers the tuition and fees not covered by other federal, state and institutional benefits. If students are eligible for Pell grants, state grants or Bright Futures Scholarships, those funds are applied first and then the FSU PC Promise Scholarship is applied to the remaining balance, ensuring all tuition and fees are covered.

To maintain eligibility, the student must be in good academic standing with the university and engage in 30 hours of community service per semester. The scholarship is available up to 120 cumulative credit hours or the number required for the academic program.

This area has seen its share of hardships from Hurricane Michael and the pandemic. During these challenging times, our scholarship recipients, including many first-generation college students, have been able to pursue their educational goals. Some recipients already have graduated and entered the workforce, while others are leading their classes at FSU PC, where they are Garnet & Gold Scholars, members of national honor societies and involved in the community.

Educational access and degree attainment are critical to the economic development of our communities. We hope the FSU PC Promise Scholarship will inspire students and their families to pursue their educational goals at a preeminent Florida institution, which recently reaffirmed its place in the Top 20 among national public universities in the U.S. News & World Report rankings.

Registration is currently underway for Summer 2022 classes and the Fall 2022 semester.

For more information, call the FSU PC Promise information number (24/7) at 850-832-5649, email admissions@pc.fsu.edu or visit pc.fsu.edu.

Randy Hanna, EdD, JD, is the dean at Florida State University Panama City.

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: FSU Panama City offers FSU PC Promise Scholarship | Guestview