RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia Union awarded scholarships to more than 100 students on Christmas Day.
The total number of scholarship money -- $250,000 -- was raised by alumni, donors, and corporate partners.
"We are doing everything in our power to ensure that our students are able to concentrate on their academics and not be burdened with financial debt," Dr. Hakim Lucas, President & CEO at Virginia Union University, said. “Announcing these awards on Christmas is our gift to the students and their families. We want to inspire our students and encourage them to continue their studies."
The scholarships are available for the spring 2020 semester and students have until January 3 to accept the award.
Virginia Union recently announced it would lower undergraduate tuition to $10,530 plus $1,753 in fees for the fall 2020 semester. Undergraduate tuition is currently $15,530. While undergraduate prices are going down, the cost of graduate school will increase (Master’s program tuition will cost $451 per credit, an increase of $92, and Doctorate tuition will cost $551 per credit, an increase of $295 per credit hour).
“This was an important decision for the Trustees as we work to meet the needs of our students,” said Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, Chairman of the VUU Board of Trustees. “We want to ensure that anyone who desires a high-quality education has access to it without accumulating a mountain of debt. This decision will change the future for our current students by reducing and, in some cases, eliminating their student loan debt. It will also give the opportunity to students who may have felt that higher education was financially impossible.”
