MSU expands its free scholarship program to students from families with incomes up to $65K

Michigan State University is expanding the pool of students eligible for its free tuition scholarship by widening parameters to include students from families with income up to $65,000 or less a year, officials announced Monday.

To encourage high school students to apply now, MSU is waiving its $65 application fee through Oct. 21 to celebrate Michigan College Month with the Michigan College Access Network, university officials said.

Since 2006, MSU has offered Spartan Advantage ― a scholarship that has helped cover the cost of tuition for nearly 12,000 in-state students coming from families at or below the federal poverty line and had an expected family contribution of $0. That program, which MSU says is one of the state's first to offer a tuition-free scholarship to in-state students, has distributed more than $387 million in financial aid.

Starting in fall 2024, MSU will begin a new financial aid program, Spartan Tuition Advantage, that will cover the full cost of tuition for all Pell Grant-eligible Michigan high school graduates who have an annual family income of $65,000 or less. Required documents include a completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, form.

It costs $16,000 annually in tuition to attend MSU. The scholarship does not cover the room and board at MSU, where the university requires students to live on campus for the first two years. A double room and silver unlimited meal plan costs $11,754 in 2023-24.

MSU expects the scholarship to reach 1,500 students in its first year and more than 6,000 annually after it has been in place for four years.

“MSU historically has provided great financial aid packages to in-state students for over 50 years as a means to reduce the financial barriers that can stand between students and their future success through a world-class higher education degree,” Interim President Teresa Woodruff said in a statement. “The Spartan Tuition Advantage program is an exciting extension of our pledge to the success of future Spartans leaners.” 

All of the state's public universities offer a tuition-free scholarship with similar parameters, according to a list on the Michigan Association of State Universities' website.

The expansion of MSU's free scholarship program was possible because of the state's Michigan Achievement Scholarship, said MSU spokesman Dan Olsen. That program, a $250 million state-funded scholarship hailed as the biggest state investment in financial aid in decades, launched in the fall and lowers tuition costs by up to $5,500 every year for students attending public, private, tribal and community colleges, and occupational training programs.

"Our most vulnerable students would still receive full tuition coverage before the Michigan Achievement Scholarship," Olsen said. "But the existence of the Michigan Achievement Scholarship means that (MSU's) resources can go further and deeper to support a broader range of students."

Michigan high school students seeking to apply to MSU now through Oct. 21 can use the code "Spartan1855" to waive the application fee.

kkozlowski@detroitnews.com