Governor lauds needs-based scholarship program

blunt visit

Gov. Matt Blunt answers a reporter's question Wednesday, Oct. 24, during a
visit to Northwest to discuss Access Missouri, the state's new needs-based
scholarship program.

Gov. Matt Blunt spoke during an outdoor press conference on the Northwest campus on Wednesday, Oct. 24, where he praised the success of Access Missouri, a needs-based scholarship program that went into effect this summer.

Access Missouri replaced the Charles Gallagher Student Financial Assistance and Missouri College Guarantee programs at the beginning of the current school year. The initiative increases state funding for needs-based scholarships by about $45 million.

"The Access Missouri scholarship program we created is making a tremendous positive impact for Missouri students and families, more than doubling the number of scholarships for students when compared to the previous year," Blunt said.

According to Blunt, 33,000 Missouri college students received needs-based state assistance this fall, up from 16,400 last year. At Northwest alone, he said, 1,200 students qualified for $844,285 in Access Missouri funds, compared to only 190 students who received $369,725 in Guarantee/Gallagher assistance for 2006-'07.

"Missourians can be proud that we have increased scholarship funding from $27.5 million to $72.5 million, improving opportunities for thousands of Missourians," Blunt said. "I am very pleased that more than 1,000 additional students at Northwest Missouri State University will have access to needs-based scholarships that will help further their educations and improve their quality of life."

In addition to providing millions of dollars for needs-based assistance, Access Missouri also simplifies the financial aid process through predictable, portable awards and increased access to the applicant's school of choice. Need is determined by a given student's expected family contribution (EFC) as calculated through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

"This program has one simple formula based on a family's ability to pay for college," Blunt said.

Access Missouri came into being after Blunt singed a landmark higher education package this year that included the Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative, which is providing $335 million in capital funds for new learning centers at colleges and universities statewide, including the Center of Excellence at Northwest.

For more information, please contact:

Anthony Brown,
News Bureau Manager
E-Mail: abrown@nwmissouri.edu
Phone (660) 562-1704
Fax (660) 562-1900

Northwest Missouri State University
219 Administration Building,
800 University Drive
Maryville, MO 64468

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