Wayne State University will become the first university to launch a micro-scholarship partnership with RaiseMe, an organization that has raised over $4 billion in scholarships incentives since 2014.
RaiseMe and Wayne State University have entered a partnership that will see the school’s first-year students take part in a pilot program meant to keep students at the end of the academic year. It will offer between $10 to $50 incremental incentives to these students. The total amount the students will earn will go into payment of their school fees in the next academic year.
This pilot program will borrow heavily on a similar program called the RaiseMe college readiness program. The college readiness program is geared towards high school students, and the scholarships encourage the students to perform better and focus on their chances of progressing to universities and colleges.
Micro-scholarships success
The Wayne State University collaboration is aimed at the high number of dropouts and stop-outs that have risen countrywide. Data from National Student Clearinghouse shows that only 55 percent of the student enrolled in a college or university in a 2 year or 4-year program completed the program within six years. The data gets grimmer for other demographics such as minorities where data available show that only 29 percent complete within the six years.
The pilot program will be rolled out into two phases. The first phase will involve what is commonly known as summer melt. In June 2019, a group of around 500 students was invited to take part in this micro-scholarship program. These students were in transition from high school to college where they are required to complete some necessary to get enrolled in colleges. The micro-scholarship data got proved that the students’ performance improved significantly.
The second phase is called fall student success students. This will involve students already enrolled in this university. It motivates them in their behaviors, academics and keeping them in the path for graduation. This second phase will include financial assistance, academic assistance and social aspect of ensuring that these students have a sense of belonging.
Since the launch of the RaiseMe college readiness program in the fall of 2014, over $4 billion micro-scholarships has been offered to prospective students. To put that into perspective, that equals 4 in five high schools countrywide. Over 300 universities have taken part in this program including Florida International University, Arizona State University, University of Chicago, University of Rochester, Northeastern, Tulane and Georgia Tech.
