In its mission to ensure affordable education opportunities, Sinclair College launched the Sinclair Scholars program in the fall of 2015, becoming the first tuition-free program of its kind among community colleges in Ohio. The program is designed especially for recent high school graduates and acceptance into the program is automatic for students who meet eligibility requirements, which include graduating from an Ohio high school, qualifying for federal financial aid, registering full-time each semester and meeting requirements on standardized entrance exams.

The college will invest $250,000 in the program over the next two years. Those students who are eligible for income-based Pell grants will have the portion of tuition and fees that is not covered by the Pell Grant award or other scholarships paid by the Sinclair Scholars Program.

“The goal is to assist gifted, low-income 2015 Ohio high school graduates by reducing their overall cost of attending college,” said Dr. Anthony Cruz, Sinclair’s vice president for enrollment management and student affairs. “This program continues Sinclair’s strong track record of accessible, high quality, and affordable higher education.”