HARRISBURG, Ill. (Jan. 22, 2021) – For those aged 25 and older who may have started classes but never finished their degree due to finances or other life circumstances, Southeastern Illinois College is creating a Fresh Start Scholarship.
The requirements are that applicants must 1) be 25 or older, 2) be in the SIC college district, 3) have been out of college/university for at least four years, 4) enroll in a degree or certificate program, and 5) take a minimum of six credit hours.
The Fresh Start Scholarship provides for six credit hours per semester tuition-free. A limited number of these scholarships are available. It is also renewable provided the students maintain a 2.0 GPA or higher and complete half the classes they take.
“The 25 and over population tends to have additional barriers to returning to college, be it family obligations, financial concerns, or myriad other reasons,” said Dr. Chad Flannery, Executive Dean of Student Services. “Our hope is to encourage those who did not finish college and are serious about earning a degree to get started on improving their future career outlook.”
SIC offers a number of services to assist all students including quality online classes for those who find it difficult to attend in-person classes during the day, free tutoring in person or online, free advisement to help students set and achieve their academic goals, and library and online staff available to assist with any questions or concerns, to name but a few.
Additionally, online mini-semester classes will be starting March 15 at SIC and include classes in speech, English, hygiene, psychology, and sociology. These classes take half the time to complete (eight weeks versus 16) and are still full-credit classes. They are, however, a bit more rigorous, as it is essentially the same courses compacted into a shorter time period. Summer classes are set up in similar fashion.
For those that prefer on-campus classes, when classes are not mostly remote due to COVID-19, students should know that SIC regularly serves all ages of students.
“We find that some of our 25-plus population, which we call the nontraditional student, feel they might be out-of-place among the assumed younger student population, but that is simply not the case. Around half of our student base is actually considered to be in that nontraditional student bracket,” said Dr. Tyler Billman, Executive Dean of Academic Services.
To apply, email [email protected] and ask about the Fresh Start Scholarship.
