As the cost of tuition continues to rise across California, families are facing increasing financial pressure to afford higher education.
However, the Inyo County Office of Education said local students will be offered support that will make their college experience more accessible and affordable.
Superintendent of Schools Barry Simpson said local students have access to the Inyo Promise, an initiative providing substantial financial assistance for their continuing education and spearheaded by the ICOE and the Easter Sierra Foundation.
“We are extremely proud of the Inyo Promise Program and our collaboration with the Eastern Sierra Foundation,” Simpson said. “Our shared commitment is to impact the lives of students in Inyo County, and together we are doing it.”
The Inyo Promise provides students a pathway to success — free from the financial strain that others have to endure — through both Cerro Coso Community College and the University of Nevada, Reno.
Students beginning their higher education journey at Cerro Coso Community College’s Bishop Campus have the opportunity to apply for a full scholarship through the foundation.
The scholarship covers all in-state enrollment fees and provides up to $500 per semester for required books. To be eligible, students must be enrolled in at least nine units each semester and meet the scholarship’s additional requirements.
For those looking to transfer to a four-year university, Cerro Coso graduates with a cumulative transfer GPA of 3.00 or higher will be considered for the Western Undergraduate Exchange program at UNR. This program offers substantial savings, reducing tuition costs by more than $7,1 million per semester. Meanwhile, students with a GPA between 2.75 and 2.99 will qualify for the Pack Exchange Program, which offers savings of around $4,988 per semester.
High school graduates looking to attend UNR have two scholarship programs available to them.
The WUE program is open to students who have completed four years of English, three years of natural science, three years of mathematics, and three years of social science with a minimum 3.25 GPA or a minimum ACT composite score of 24, or a combined SAT score of 1160.
Qualified students in this program can save about $7,152 per semester.
Alternatively, students with a minimum 3.0 GPA or a minimum ACT composite score of 22, or a combined SAT score of 1100, may be eligible for the Pack Exchange Program, which provides savings of about $4,988 per semester.
Both WUE and Pack Exchange program considerations are available only to those applying for the fall semester immediately following high school graduation.
In addition, the ICOE will award a $1,000 scholarship to all Inyo County high school graduates attending UNR as freshmen, regardless of their eligibility for the WUE or Pack Exchange programs. This scholarship can be used to offset the cost of books and tuition.
Foundation board president Julie Faber said the ESF Scholarship covers 100% of a student’s tuition and includes a $500 book stipend.
This fall semester, 65 students, including 14 students in the Licensed Vocational Nursing program, are benefiting from a full-ride scholarship a Cerro Coso. Over the last 21 years, ESF has awarded a total of $1.8 million in scholarships.
In addition to the ESF Scholarship, the foundation has expanded its support to encompass programs in nursing, Emergency Medical Technician training, and wildland fire services.
Through partnerships with local organizations like Inyo County JobSpot, the foundation has also increased access to higher education for residents who may have faced barriers in the past.
The foundation’s efforts extend beyond community college education, offering as much as $10,000 in transfer scholarships each semester to students heading to four-year universities, made possible by additional fundraising and a generous grant from Southern California Edison.
Foundation board president Julie Faber urged residents to take advantage of these opportunities, especially the chance to begin their community college education at no cost.
“Together, we can help our students achieve their academic and career goals without the burden of overwhelming debt,” she said.
