A week after being named the 13th president of Ferrum College, Mirta Martin cashed in by cutting the cost of tuition by $10,000.
“We at Ferrum College are committed to affordability, accessibility, and opportunity,” Martin said. “We responded and will continue to be a leader in the proactive response to the global concern that surrounds the cost of higher education. “
Juniors and seniors will also be awarded a $500-per-year persistence grant for what Martin called their commitment to their academic journey at Ferrum College.
“We know the decrease in tuition as well as the persistence grant will expand opportunity to incoming and returning students who seek an excellent education in an inclusive…environment, where every individual is a cherished member of our dear Panther family,” Martin said.
Students will continue to receive institutional aid, the Panther Promise, the Ferrum Promise, and the Bachelors Promise for qualifying students–not just in the Commonwealth of Virginia, but throughout the United States and around the world.
Scholarship percentages will not be cut due to the tuition drop.
“It’s all going to be based on the FASFA. We’ll go ahead and bring in the FASFA, and then depending on what that tells us, we’ll go ahead and provide the ongoing Merritt scholarships and academic scholarships, and federal scholarships,” Martin said. “The $2,000 for the Honors College stays the same plus the $3,000 for their once-in-the-four-years travel abroad stipend.”
Earlier this year, the Panther Promise was launched, giving 100 Virginia residents free tuition to attend school here.
The college hosts programs through six academic schools: School of Arts and Humanities, School of Sciences and Agriculture, School of Technology and Behavioral Sciences, School of Business and Education, School of Nursing and Health, School of Graduate and Online Studies.
“In a time where there are a multitude of challenges facing students and their families, as well as their extended support systems, Ferrum College continues to be a destination of choice, continues to be a dynamic learning community where students enter with promise and leave with purpose,” Martin said. “Our students, faculty, and staff are known throughout the region, and their commitment to service and to community action as expressed in our motto ‘Not Self But Others.’ These are not words from a page but a way of life.”
