The second year of Bucky’s Tuition Promise offered free tuition to 848 Wisconsin residents the chance to attend the state’s flagstaff university free of charge.
Bucky’s Tuition Promise gives in-state students with annual household incomes of less than $58,000 the chance to earn a bachelor’s degree for free. This scholarship, made up entirely of donations from private donors, covers tuition and segregated fees, but not housing.
First announced in February2018, Bucky’s Tuition Promise had 796 recipients in its first year. The 2019-’20 school year saw an increase of more than 50 scholars.
Associate Director for Advising and Outreach in the Student Financial Aid Office Greg Offerman and his team were integral in the implementation and publicization of the scholarship.
“Bucky’s Tuition Promise gives students that have a dream of getting a college education a chance to pursue a degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison,” Offerman said.
The Financial Aid Office understands how cumbersome FAFSA can be, so they hope that the Tuition Promise will incentivize students to commit to the process since they already know what kind of financial aid they will receive.
While there is no maximum number of recipients Bucky’s Tuition Promise intends to financially support, Offerman stressed the importance of filling out the FAFSA early so the Financial Aid Office knows the funds needed to procure for the upcoming year.
“When it comes to education, the more the merrier as far as were concerned,” Offerman said.
Roughly 1 in 5 incoming in-state students will be recipients of Bucky’s Tuition Promise — over half of them first-generation college students. Of 72 counties in Wisconsin, 65 are represented in this scholarship program.
Offerman stressed the importance of continuing to support students after their acceptance, reconciling the fact that the financial aspect is not the only part college students struggle with.
“The purpose is to support students on their journey towards a degree at UW-Madison,” Offerman said.
