BIG RAPIDS – Ferris State University is making the option of attending an out-of-state
school at in-state tuition rates more attractive to prospective students in 16 states
and Ontario, Canada.
Beginning next fall, first-time eligible freshmen and transfer students from California; Florida; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kentucky; Maryland; Minnesota; Missouri; New York; Ohio; Ontario, Canada; Pennsylvania; Tennessee; Virginia; West Virginia; and Wisconsin can qualify for in-state tuition for 15 credit hours per semester through Ferris’ Great Lakes Scholarship.
Ferris began placing a greater emphasis on recruiting out-of-state students in 2008 when it introduced the Chicago Area Scholarship for students in Cook, DuPage and Lake counties in Illinois. Because of its popularity, the scholarship was expanded to all counties in Illinois and three other states, including Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin, and renamed the Bulldog Award.
The interest in the Bulldog Award, which tripled the number of students enrolling
in Ferris from the four GLS states, was enough reason for university officials to
expand it further for the 2010-11 academic year, particularly in these tough economic
times for students and their parents, said Kristen Salomonson, dean of Enrollment
Services at Ferris.
“Certainly, in these economic times, price sensitivity is more important than ever
before,” said Salomonson, who noted that eligible GLS students can save more than
$6,000 a year in tuition costs.
She added, “This scholarship also allows us to be more competitive with other colleges and universities in the Great Lakes region, to maintain an aggressive student recruitment program in response to predictions that the number of high school seniors in Michigan is not expected to increase for another 10 years, to create stronger geographic diversity on our campus, and to expose students to Ferris’ unique program mix.”
The number of GLS students enrolling at Ferris has increased from 50 in 2008 to 154 in 2009, and retention rates are upwards of 80 percent, Salomonson said.
“The Bulldog Award is consistent with Ferris State University’s founding principles of opportunity and access that have continued to resonate over the past 125 years. Ferris remains as committed as ever to creating greater access to a quality education for students,” said Dan Burcham, vice president for Student Affairs.
To attract out-of-state students to Ferris, admissions representatives will expand recruiting visits to targeted states; continue aggressive direct mail, e-mail and personal communications; involve Ferris alumni and athletic recruiters in outreach; and place admissions recruiters in selected states.