UWRF unveils new scholarship guarantee program

On Oct. 1, 2015, University of Wisconsin-River Falls unveiled a new scholarship program that guarantees financial awards to academically qualified freshmen. Once students are accepted to the University, an internal process determines eligibility and awards students automatically within the first few weeks of the semester.

According to a press release given by the University, “Students with a 22 ACT or higher who rank in the top 40 percent of their class will be guaranteed a $1,000 scholarship their first year. Students with a 25 ACT score or better who rank in the top 25 percent of their class will be awarded $2,000. This award can be renewed for a second year, totaling $4,000 in scholarship assistance.”

The decision to implement this program comes in direct response to declining enrollment rates, and increases in the cost of higher education. Sarah Egerstrom, Director of New Student and Family Programs, remarked, “Currently there is a lot more competition for the freshmen that are out there, and the high cost of education is a major concern for families.” The goal with this program is to keep UW-River Falls as a contender when families are considering schools in this area.

Executive Assistant to the Chancellor, Beth Schommer, said, “UW-River Falls has been doing a lot to advertise this program throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota.” College fairs, state tours, and mailings are just a few of the methods the admissions office is employing to get the word out. According to Sarah Egerstrom, “40,000 pieces of mail are due to hit next week.”

The admissions office also participates in name-buying programs, which Egerstrom says, “is a common practice of Universities, where schools work with vendors to identify potential students based on their ACT score.” UWRF mainly seeks students from Wisconsin and Minnesota, though the scope of students sought may be expanded sometime in the future. High school seniors have been the University’s primary focus, though efforts have also been extended to reach out to juniors who hope to attend fall semester 2017.

The program is slated to be in full effect by fall semester 2016, but on Friday, October 9, the first round of 148 scholarships was already awarded for a total amount of $230,000. Awards will continue to go out weekly until class starts in 2016. The students who qualify for this guaranteed scholarship money will still be eligible for other scholarships, but must apply for those by the appropriate deadlines. UW-River Falls will award over $1 million in total funds for the 2016-2017 school year.

For further information about the Scholarship Guarantee program, contact Sarah Egerstrom at sarah.r.egerstrom@uwrf.edu or call (715) 425-3500.