Many students give up scholarships to live off campus despite increases to funds

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Editor’s note: Every Wednesday, CM Life will publish an in-depth piece, examining different issues.

Seventeen percent of sophomores with one of Central Michigan University’s nine renewable scholarships chose to forfeit them last year so they could live off campus.

Renewable scholarships start at $2,000 a year for four years as long as full-time students live on campus for their first two years and maintain a 3.25 GPA.

These scholarships are awarded to students in their senior year of high school and are used as a recruiting tool.

Diane Fleming, associate director of client services for the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid, said about 25 percent of incoming freshmen typically receive a renewable scholarship.

“We are the only four-year public school in Michigan that has such a generous renewable merit scholarship,” she said.

The number one reason students choose to give up their scholarships to live off campus, Fleming said, is because they think it will save them money. However, she said no student has brought back data to explain that forfeiting their scholarship has that impact.

“Students are convinced that they can live more economically off campus than they can on campus,” Fleming said. “They also want the independence of living in an apartment instead of a residence hall.”

Students can appeal to live off campus and still receive their scholarships because of economic and severe health reasons.

Sault Ste. Marie sophomore Angela DiMartino wrote such a letter last year and her request was granted.

“I explained how my dad’s income decreased last year significantly,” DiMartino said.

Will there be changes?

CMU is not considering changing its scholarship requirements because of this issue.

Fleming said the university believes strongly that living in a residence hall is a very significant part of the college experience and it encourages students to do that.

“All of the merit awards are constantly being reviewed to see if they should be increased,” Fleming said. “They will never be decreased.”

The current values of the merit awards were increased three years ago.

Next year, the Academic Honors Elite scholarship will be eliminated. This was awarded to high school seniors with GPAs over 3.6 and ACT scores above 25.

This decision was made at the Office of the Provost for economic reasons.

“It was felt that those students were coming regardless, so the extra money was not a good use if they were going to come anyways,” Fleming said.

Another change is that next year renewable scholarships will require the student to stay on campus two years if they are $2,500 and higher, instead of $2,000.

Out of the nine renewable academic scholarships, the Leadership Advancement Scholarship, which is $2,000 a year, is the only one affected by this change.

Current freshmen, along with all incoming freshmen who have this scholarship, will be able to move off campus sophomore year without forfeiting it.

“I think it will be interesting next year to see if people will stay instead of giving up that larger amount of money,” said Residence Life associate director Joan Schmidt.

Both Schmidt and Fleming wondered why more parents do not encourage their students to stay on campus and keep their scholarships.

“Sometimes parents are surprised when their students choose to live off campus, sign a lease and then the parent realizes they’re not going to still get their scholarship although the document clearly states it,” Fleming said.

Incoming sophomores who were enrolled for a second year in residence halls were sent an email on July 13 with the offer to live off campus without penalty of losing their scholarships. The offer was made because CMU had an overcrowding of incoming freshmen and needed to free up space.

A one-time deal?

John Fisher, associate vice president of Residences and Auxiliary Services, does not know if CMU will make that offer again.

“If we find ourselves in that situation again, we will make the offer,” Fisher said. “We’re not going to make that offer if we have the space.”

It all depends on the size of the incoming freshmen class and the retention rate, he said.

Flushing sophomore Jennifer Hinds was one of the 17 percent who forfeited her scholarship last year.

“I just did not like how noisy the dorms were, and I wanted privacy in my own house to live without rules from RAs or anyone,” Hinds said.

Next year’s sophomores seem to be following the trends of previous years.

“It does surprise me that students would give up that type of hefty scholarship,” Schmidt said.

Lapeer sophomore Kyle Griffin will forfeit his Academic Elite Honor Scholarship to live in an apartment next year.

Grades were not a factor in his decision.

“Graduating with anything below a 3.5 would be a disappointment to me,” Griffin said.