FMU opens doors

FMU is establishing a new financial award that will allow certain incoming freshman students to have all the tuition and first-year fees covered by the University.

The award will be enacted in the fall of 2020 and will be awarded to students who demonstrate financial need. It will pay the difference between a student’s first-year tuition and fees, federal grants, state scholarships, institutional scholarships, stipends and other outside awards.

The FMU Freshman Supplement is another advancement from the FMU First Generation Fund that was launched last year.

That fund provided resources to students who were first-generation college students.

In order for students to be eligible, they have to be a freshman, S.C. resident, complete the application before the due date, enroll as a full-time student, be eligible for full-federal Pell Grant and have completed their FAFSA.

Incoming Freshman students have until Feb. 1, 2020 to meet the requirements to be eligible for the supplement.

FMU is working to make higher education affordable and accessible to students.

President Fred Carter said he believes this is a step in the right direction.

“Opening the door to quality university education has been FMU’s mission since its founding 50 years ago, and it’s no less a part of who we are today,” Carter said. “Helping students with a demonstrated need to overcome those hurdles is one of the critical things we do.”