Florida A&M University (FAMU) students will get $41.5 million in tuition and fee assistance during the 2021-2022 school year.
FAMU President Larry Robinson announced additional assistance for students as part of the kick-off activities for the new school year. The announcement brings to more than $57 million the amount the University will pass on to students for debt relief and tuition assistance thanks to money received from the federal CARES Act.
Last year, FAMU used more than $16 million in CARES Act funds to clear outstanding balances in students’ accounts.
“Some of you and your parents when those bills started going away you started calling my office. ‘FAMU, that $3,000 bill disappeared, did you make a mistake?’ It was not a mistake. It was by design,” Robinson told students.
“You need our help, and we are going to do everything we can to make that happen,” Robinson continued. “The university really cares about you and your well-being. Not only do we care, but we understand that every obstacle we can knock down in your way, we can help you get to that place where you want to go.”
More than 60 percent of FAMU students are Pell grant eligible, the highest proportion among State University System (SUS) institutions. A third of FAMU students are first-generation college students, while the average student comes from a family whose annual household income is less than $50,000, said William E. Hudson, FAMU’s vice president for student affairs.
For the 2021-2022 school year, full-time students will receive $2,500 each semester, $5,000 annually, toward tuition and fees. The amount will be pro-rated for part-time students, Hudson said. Students and their parents should have already seen the impact on their financial accounts. About $15.3 million has already been disbursed this semester, officials said.
“This is a very big deal for our students and their families,” Hudson said. “It decreases the potential debt of our students.”
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