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V
irginia
C
apitol
C
onnections
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pring
2015
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Bluefield College is taking a bold,
innovative step toward making a four-year
college education more affordable and more
likely lowering the debt students incur.
In an effort to meet the national call to
deliver a quality higher education that is
more affordable and accessible to those at
our country’s lowest socio-economic level
and in keeping with the college’s mission to
be a point of access to the youth of Central
Appalachia, BC announced a new Pathways
tuition plan that substantially reduces its
tuition by nearly 50 percent for qualifying
students.
During a press conference on the
Bluefield College campus, Friday, March 13,
surrounded by a room full of local media,
secondary school educators, and local and
state legislators, BC president Dr. David
Olive shared the details of the new tuition
model that he said, “will provide a ‘pathway’
to quality higher education for students of the
region with little to no direct out-of-pocket
impact on their families.”
“Due to stagnate and in some cases
declining family income, students and their
families are struggling to afford a college
education,” said Dr. Olive, “and through
the Pathways initiative we are doing all that
we can to remain accessible to those in our
surrounding communities who can least
afford the expense of a college education.”
Starting with the fall 2015-2016
academic year and believed to be the first of
its kind offered by a four-year college, the
Pathways tuition plan lowers BC’s annual
tuition from the standard $23,295 to just
$12,000 for prospective students who (a)
qualify for the federal Pell grant, (b) live at
home, and (c) attend a school district within a
45-mile radius of Bluefield College.
Reaching a traditional footprint of
Bluefield College, the Pathways tuition plan
is open to students of the following school
districts: Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Floyd,
Giles, Grayson, Montgomery, Pulaski,
Russell, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington and
Wythe in Virginia; and McDowell, Mercer,
Monroe, Raleigh, Summers and Wyoming in
West Virginia.
Already ranked among the Top 50
Christian Colleges with the Lowest Student
Debt by Christian Universities Online and
among the Most Affordable Colleges Online
by College Choice, Bluefield College is
well known for its mission to provide
an affordable, accessible quality higher
education to students of the region who
can least afford it. One-fourth of traditional
students attending BC in 2014-2015 qualified
for a full Pell award, including 43 percent
of the fall 2014 freshman class. In fact, last
fall, for the first time in school history, 100
percent of BC students received some form
of financial aid.
Bluefield College Unveils Half-Price Tuition Plan
“
What a fantastic way to reach out to potential students who
otherwise could not afford college costs without being loaded down
with student loans,” said 1963 BC alumna Glenda Camp, a member
of the Bluefield College Advisory Council. “Once again, I am so
proud of my alma mater and it’s current leadership.
”
“Bluefield College has a rich history and admirable mission,” said Dr. Olive. “Virginia
Baptists and community members partnered 94 years ago to create a college that would serve
the educational and spiritual needs of the young people in Appalachia. I’m proud to say we’re
continuing to do that, and the Pathways initiative will just further our mission of being a place
of accessibility.”
“Bluefield College takes pride in the assistance it provides to students,” said Trent Argo,
BC’s vice president for enrollment management. “We work with students to seek outside
scholarships from local service clubs and organizations to reduce the need for additional loan
debt. Students in the Pathways plan have the possibility of not only reducing their loan amount,
but also possibly eliminating the need for a loan altogether.”