PROVIDENCE – Students within the Providence Public School District who are admitted into Brown University’s Pre-College Programs this summer will have a nice round number on their program tuition bills: zero.
The university announced Thursday that it will provide full scholarships to every PPSD student admitted into the pre-college summer program. The Ivy League institution says the new scholarships for all admitted PPSD students remove financial barriers for the students’ families and an effort to increase the number of PPSD students attending Brown’s pre-college programs.
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The university says more than 200 PPSD students enrolled in Brown’s pre-college programs since it launched in 2016, 38 of which were enrolled in 2022. But, Gina Silvia, director of school counseling for PPSD, said in a statement the financial aid application was still deterring some families in the city from applying for the program.
Now, with costs no longer being applied to PPSD students in the program, Jael Lopes, PPSD’s director of strategic community partnerships, feels there will be increase in city student participation in Brown’s pre-college program.
“I think our families will also feel that they’re sending their child to a program that sees them, that understands their barriers and that’s willing to work with them to overcome those barriers,” Lopes said in a statement.
The full scholarships now to be offered to PPSD students in the program will cover courses, housing, meals and any fees tied to the pre-college programs, according to Joi-Danelle Whitehead, Brown’s director of diversity, equity, inclusion and access for pre-college. Certain off-campus travel costs will not be covered by the scholarships.
The pre-college program’s costs range from a little more than $3,000 to close to $10,000 depending on certain programming and how the programming is delivered – either online only or in person on campus – according to pre-college programming financial figures from Brown. PPSD students still need to meet requirements to enter the program, including being proficient in English and taking program prerequisites.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
