350
Number of applications submitted in the first year of the Drexel Promise program.
Students who have earned an associate degree from any accredited community college in the United States now have the opportunity to attend Drexel at half the tuition cost.
The Drexel Promise program — which since fall 2023 has offered 50% renewable scholarships for the cost of tuition to eligible graduates of Pennsylvania and New Jersey community colleges — has been extended to community college graduates across the country.
“Our goal is to expand access to the Drexel education,” says Dawn Medley, Drexel’s senior vice president for Enrollment Management. “Our experiential education model has proven to be one of the best ways for students to prepare to be leaders in their careers, so it’s incumbent on us to provide opportunities for more students to earn a Drexel degree.”
In its first year, the program drew applications from more than 350 students, with over 120 students from community colleges in Pennsylvania and New Jersey ultimately taking advantage of the program.
“If a program like ours can provide additional motivation for students to earn their associate degree and lower the financial barrier to invest in themselves by pursuing a four-year degree, it’s not just a win for Drexel and those students who earn a Drexel degree, it’s also helping to move society in the right direction,” says Hillen Grason Jr., vice president for Enrollment Management Admissions and Outreach. “And that should be the goal of every institution of higher learning.”
The Promise program is part of the University’s ongoing effort to expand access opportunities for students who wish to earn a Drexel degree. It was inspired by Drexel’s Liberty Scholars Program, which has offered full scholarships to local high school graduates for more than a decade.
“If a program like ours can provide additional motivation for students to earn their associate degree and lower the financial barrier to invest in themselves by pursuing a four-year degree, it’s not just a win for Drexel and those students who earn a Drexel degree, it’s also helping to move society in the right direction.” — Hillen Grason Jr.
“We view this program as the next step in the process of inviting more students to bring their life experiences to Drexel and continue learning from the real-world experiences we provide as part of our unique curriculum,” says April Torgun, director of Transfer Admissions. “As a result of sharing these experiences, our University continues to evolve to better prepare students for their career path after graduation.”
The Drexel Promise is open to associate degree graduates of accredited U.S. community colleges who earn admission to a four-year, on-campus, bachelor’s degree program at Drexel. The 50% scholarship is renewable each year to those who maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA.