The UW Foundation announced Friday that the Great People Scholarship has raised $44 million to provide aid for low-income UW-Madison students since the gift matching initiative began.
More than 21,000 alumni have donated to the Great People Scholarship since the UW Foundation Board of Regents allocated $20 million to match gifts for need-based scholarships in 2008, according to a university release.
UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank said the scholarship has helped improve the accessibility of UW-Madison for all potential applicants.
“The Great People Scholarship helps ensure that a quality education at the UW is not out of reach for low-income students,” Blank said in the release. “Need-based scholarships continue to be a top priority as they help the university remain accessible to qualified students, regardless of their personal financial situation.”
Nearly 600 students received aid from the Great People Scholarship in 2015, and roughly 40 percent of those recipients were first-generation college students. One of those students, UW-Madison freshman Elisha Ikhumhen, said the scholarship helped improve her first year at the university.
“This scholarship has eased the financial burden placed on my family and me,” Ikhumhen said in the release. “Now I can put all my effort into my education and being a well-rounded individual instead of worrying about how to pay for things.”
