Marshall Nixes In-State Tuition For Households Under $65K

Incoming Marshall University students from West Virginia with a family income of $65,000 or under will have one less thing to worry about this fall: paying their college tuition.

That is because Marshall announced Thursday it would eliminate tuition costs for those in-state students. Dubbed “Tuition-Free WV,” the effort is an expansion of Marshall For All, a two-year-old university initiative that has allowed eligible students to complete their bachelor’s degree without accruing any student debt.

Marshall’s announcement is the latest in a spate of efforts from West Virginia colleges and universities to make higher education more affordable.

In January, West Virginia University launched a similar program covering tuition and fees for students with a family adjusted gross income up to $65,000. Earlier this month, Fairmont State University announced it would eliminate tuition costs for West Virginia residents and high school graduates with a family income of $70,000 or less.

And West Virginia State University announced a freeze on tuition, room and board costs, plus the elimination of application costs Feb. 6.

Higher education enrollment in the United States has declined in recent years, exacerbated by the botched rollout of federal financial aid applications for undergraduate students last spring.

Marshall also offers automatic admission to high school graduates from Boone, Clay, Lewis, Logan, Jackson, Kanawha and McDowell counties, announced last August as an effort to reach more first-generation college students in West Virginia. Shepherd University and the West Virginia University Institute of Technology have implemented similar programs on their campuses.

In a Thursday press release, Marshall President Brad Smith said the Huntington university’s new initiative seeks to eliminate “tuition as a barrier.”

“We believe that every student deserves access to a high-quality education, regardless of their financial background,” Smith said. “With this expansion, we’re … helping them build a future of success without the weight of student loan debt.”

Eligible students are still responsible to cover housing, meals, books and personal costs, according to the press release. But Marshall offers other forms of financial aid, like scholarships and grants, to help pay for these expenses.

“We understand that affording college is a major concern for many families, and this program is another way we’re working to make a Marshall education more accessible,” said Marshall’s chief enrollment officer, Jerry Ross, in the press release.

Students are automatically considered to participate in the Tuition-Free WV initiative upon applying and being accepted to Marshall, so long as they complete their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the upcoming year.

For more information on the Tuition-Free WV initiative, visit Marshall University’s website.