Getting your degree completed in a shorter time span almost always equates to a greater savings in your checkbook. A three year bachelor’s degree is becoming more and more common and I have even recently seen a one year associates degree program (Ivy Tech Community College). Now something a little more flexible and probably more attractive, from an accelerated degree standpoint, has rolled out in Indiana

Grace College and Seminary is a liberal arts campus located in Winona Lake and they boast a student population of nearly 1700. They have taken the traditional academic calender and now tweaked it to provide accelerated degree programs for their students. The two most popular are the three year bachelor’s degree and the four year bachelor’s degree combined with a masters.

Most liberal arts calendars provide two 16 week semesters (Fall & Spring) and then have a summer session of varying course length. Grace is taking this academic calendar and parsing it into two 8 week sessions for each semester and then still rolling out a traditional summer session. This provides their students an opportunity to take an extra course during each of the 8 week sessions. Combine this with a few courses over the summer sessions and you can see how easily it is to graduate early and ahead of schedule. Trust me.. your brain is going to hate you but your pocketbook is really going to like this option.

Grace has put together some numbers to provide a proof of savings for their new program. The sticker price at Grace College for the 2010 academic year is $28,774. This price includes meals and housing but does not include financial aid, which you are sure to receive… In their financial chart, they factor the one year savings into their equation but they also include something that other schools forget to mention – the extra year of income the student will be receiving by entering into the work force a year earlier.

Now this program is not for the academically challenged. If you are interested in participating in Grace’s accelerated degree program, you have to go through the normal admission process the same as every student. And once you are admitted into the program you have to maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average. If you are unsuccessful at keeping your GPA in check, you won’t get kicked out of Grace (unless your grades are deplorable) you will just have to convert back to the traditional course schedule until you can be proven worthy enough to get back on the accelerated track.

If you think this approach at completing your degree is something that interest you (and your bank account), feel free to drop a line to the nice people at Grace College.

As part of our Spotlight Series, I would like to shine our attention to the Washington D.C. College Access Program, also known simply as DC-CAP.

They have been in existence for a number of years and their goal and mission is simple: To encourage and enable DC public high school students to not only enroll but also to graduate from college.

DC-CAP currently has centers and advisers in every public high school and charter school in the Washington D.C. district. They have an eye-popping number (5,300) of students enrolled in their program.

The students work with counselors all four years of high school, and they roll over to the five-year college retention division upon graduation. Upperclassmen are paid additional scholarship money to mentor younger students, said Argelia Rodriguez, president and chief executive.

“We give about $2.7 million in scholarships each year, and we try to find as much money as we can,” she said. “It can be for everything from buying books to having money for food to eat.”

The following are some of the programs offered by DC-CAP:

• Individual and group counseling
• College information resource centers
• College application assistance
• Financial aid assistance
• Parent education
• College student support services
• “Last dollar” award scholarships

DC-CAP is a non-profit organization that is supported fully by donations and grants from foundations, companies, and individuals. In addition to monetary support, they enlist the help of hundreds of volunteers that help to make all their programs successful.

If you are a family, parent, or student residing or going to school in the Washington D.C. district. I encourage you to utilize DC-CAP as a resource to help make your college dreams a reality. Between scholarship assistance and financial aid education, they should be very helpful in reducing the financial burden that can be attributed to obtaining a college degree.

Also, if you are a philanthropic person looking for a great cause to donate your dollars, DC-CAP looks like a worthy organization if the education of young individuals is near and dear to your heart.

For additional information, you can visit the Washington D.C. College Access Program online here: http://www.dccap.org/

or you can contact them at the following:

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COLLEGE ACCESS PROGRAM (DC-CAP)
1029 Vermont Avenue, NW
Suite 400
Washington, D.C. 20005
Phone: (202) 783-7933
Fax: (202) 783-7939
E-mail: dccapinfo@dccap.org

As part of our Spotlight Series, we will be shining our light upon a not-for-profit group called I KNOW I CAN from Columbus,Ohio. I had the privilege of meeting with members of their staff a few weeks ago and had the opportunity to learn more about their organization and what they do to make the college experience affordable and attainable.

I Know I Can (IKIC) was founded in 1988 by civic leaders that had a vision and commitment to ensuring that no student from the Columbus City School District (regardless of financial resources) would be denied a college education.  IKIC started small but twenty years later it can now successfully boast as being one of the largest college access programs in the nation. Through the generosity of private donors over the years they have been able to maintain an endowment of $23 million dollars that provides consistent funding for operational and scholarship grant support. This academic year alone, IKIC has awarded 1,240 grants (totaling $1.38 million dollars) to deserving scholars in need.

The following are some accomplishments that I KNOW I CAN can be proud to claim since it’s founding in 1988:

• They have awarded 20,830 Last Dollar Grants totaling $21,593,130 dollars
• They helped students gain access to over $289 million dollars in financial aid
• They have logged 160,564 volunteer hours for their Early Awareness & Financial Aid workshops
• Last Dollar Grant recipients have performed 64,395 hours of community service

I would like to acknowledge I Know I Can for all that they have done for students and families in the greater Columbus area for the past twenty years. I look forward to hearing about their many successes in the years to come.

Below is a list of the services provided by I Know I Can. If someone you know can benefit from any of these programs, please pass this information onto them by using the share tab at the bottom of this article.

• IKIC Children’s Book: I Know I Can is an illustrated book catered towards second grade students that starts educating them early about their opportunities for attending college.
• Blueprint:College 2.0: This program is focused on educating parents on the steps they need to take in order to help their children be college ready.
• Alumni Days: College students go back to their high schools to share wisdom and stories.
• College Fairs: Students meet with college representatives from all over the country to learn more about colleges and universities in which they are interested.

• College Planning: Call 614-233-9510 to set up a meeting with I Know I Can College Advisors to discuss achieving your college goals and plans.
• FAFSA Assistance: Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is an application for Federal Student Aid access for new and current college students.  Our staff will help you to complete the necessary paperwork to qualify for financial aid.
• I Know I Can Grants: If you meet the I Know I Can eligibility requirements, I Know I Can will contribute up to $1,200 towards your college tuition for up to 4 years.
• ACT/SAT Completion: I Know I Can will assist you in registering for the ACT and SAT. You can receive fee waivers from I Know I Can during your junior and senior years. Talk to your College Advisor for details.

• College Retention: I Know I Can has on-campus offices at 13 Ohio colleges and universities where College Advisors include all CCS graduates in activities and programs that support students in their successful pursuit of a college degree.
• Resource Room: Visit our Resource Room, located at our main office, to attend educational college planning presentations and conduct your own online college searches.
• Online Resource Center: We have compiled a list of what we think are some of the most beneficial and helpful online resources for college preparation.

Contact Information:
I Know I Can
3798 E. Broad Street
Columbus, Ohio 43213
Office: 614-233-9510
Website: www.iknowican.org

WSU is offering free tuition to students who have an annual household income of $25,000 or less. They are referring to this remarkable program as “Dream Weber” and it starts in the Fall of 2010. Opportunities like this are few and far between, so I definitely encourage anyone in the great state of Utah to give this some serious consideration.

Eligibility for this program is pretty straight forward:

• You have to be a legal resident of the state of Utah
• Have a household income of $25,000 or less
• Qualify for Federal Pell Grants
• Be an undergraduate student with less than 150 credit hours

Maintaining your participation in the program is even easier:

• You need to keep your GPA above a 2.0 (This should be no problem for most)
• You need to complete the FAFSA and WSU financial aid applications by March 1st and March 10th
• Register for at least 12-18 credit hours each semester

This program is being funded by a generous $2 million dollar gift that the University received from an anonymous donor.

“Financial hardship shouldn’t be an impediment to pursuing a college education,” said WSU Provost Michael Vaughan. “This program is WSU’s commitment to helping provide entry-level access to higher education.”

If you think this program is for you, click here to get more information about applying to WSU.

Fast Facts about Weber State University

• It was founded in 1889
• The name is pronounced Wee-ber (good to know if you are planning on attending!)
• The main campus is in Ogden, Utah with an additional campus in Layton
• Educating over 23,000 students
• Student/faculty Ratio is 22:1
• Strong athletic and student life programs
• Total financial aid awarded to students in 2008-2009 was 56,000,000 (yes.. count the zeroes..)