Northwestern University Creates New Scholarship Program for Graduates of City High Schools

Northwestern University, the high-ranking research university in Evanston, Illinois, has launched its “Good Neighbor, Great University” financial aid program. Under the new plan, graduates of Evanston or Chicago city high schools will be eligible for increased financial aid packages. Large percentages of students at these city high schools are black.

Under the plan, student loans will be replaced with scholarship grants. In addition, students who qualify for the new plan will not be required to hold work-study jobs. The new scholarships could save students up to $7,500 a year.

The university hopes to award about 100 Good Neighbor, Great University scholarships to first-year students in the fall of 2011. As many as 200 first-year students will participate in the program in the future. Northwestern currently enrolls about 2,000 freshman students each year. The new scholarship program may facilitate Northwestern’s efforts to increase racial diversity on campus.