More Ohio residents may soon be able to enroll at Cleveland State University for free – provided they check a few eligibility boxes.
Students graduating from a state high school next spring with at least a 3.0 grade point average are the first group eligible for the so-called “Cleveland State Commitment,” announced Friday.
They must also be enrolling in college for the first time in the fall 2027 semester and come from a family with an adjusted gross income of $125,000 or less.
“The Cleveland State Commitment rewards hard work by opening doors and providing a financial boost for those who need it most,” President Laura Bloomberg said in a news release.
Students and families must first fill out a federal financial aid application to determine eligibility. Cleveland State’s program kicks in after any state or federal money and other scholarships are first applied.
This award only covers tuition, not any additional costs college students take on such as living expenses or books. Students can tap into this offer for up to eight consecutive semesters, provided they maintain a 2.0 GPA, take a full-time slate of classes, fill out required financial aid requirements and do not exceed the $125,000 cap.
Officials have not yet responded to Signal Statewide’s questions about how the university is specifically paying for this initiative or details about how much the initial years of the program could cost.
New, full-time in-state residents enrolling at Cleveland State this fall paid about $6,828 in tuition per semester.
Cleveland State’s offer has higher family income limit than other state programs
Cleveland State officials said they’re looking to reach families earning between “$75,000 to $125,000 who often receive little federal or state grant aid but still find college costs out of reach,” per the release.
It’s clear university leaders believe a higher family income threshold is what sets this program apart from its competitors.
They specifically pointed to the University of Akron’s “Making Akron Possible” grant – which has an adjusted-gross income limit of $85,000 – in the news release. Several other Ohio institutions offer similar deals.
The list includes the University of Cincinnati’s “Bearcats Affordability” grant, which has a family income limit of $75,000, and the $100,000 cap of Ohio State University’s “Regional Campus Commitment.”
Cleveland State’s offer comes as the number of first-time students taking a full-time class load at the university continues to shrink. About 1,830 of those students enrolled in 2021 before dropping 36% to 1,166 students this year, according to the university’s enrollment dashboard.
Cleveland State enrolled 12,442 students in total this fall.
