Over 90 percent of UMES students qualify for federal financial aid. Over 50 percent are first generation college students; their parents often do not have the means or the fiscal experience to save for college. Graduates leave UMES with substantial debt. On average around $20,000, many with as much as $40,000. State support for higher education now hovers around 30-35 percent.
Tuition went up over 30 percent in the first half of the decade. For prospective and current UMES students, paying for college is single biggest roadblock to pursuing a degree. However, with adequate financial support, UMES students succeed in the classroom, with the highest graduation rate among Maryland’s historically black colleges.
The overarching goal of the Campaign for Academic Excellence is to raise scholarship endowment funds for both need- and merit-based scholarships. All academic, co-curricular and extra-curricular programs will benefit. UMES is committed to providing the OPPORTUNITY for high quality, values-based educational experiences. UMES faculty and staff bring DISTINCTION to their fields of study, in their teaching and in their research. A gift to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Foundation is an INVESTMENT in students who can only attend UMES thanks to the financial opportunity donors provide.
|