To show support for the Hoosier College Promise, a proposal unveiled by Gov. Mitch Daniels to make a college education more accessible and affordable for Hoosier high school graduates, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) President David G. Behrs, Ph.D., has announced the creation of the SMWC Promise Grant.

The SMWC Promise Grant is a $3,000 need-based grant that will be awarded to female Ivy Tech Community College graduates from families who earn $60,000 or less annually, and the grant will be applied towards the cost of tuition for SMWC’s undergraduate campus-based program. The SMWC Promise Grant, which will be available immediately, will be awarded in addition to any Merit-based Transfer Scholarships for which the student may qualify; transfer merit scholarships range from $2,000 to $10,000 depending upon the transferable GPA.

On Wednesday, Gov. Mitch Daniels announced plans to ask the Indiana General Assembly to approve the Hoosier College Promise, which would be available to high-school graduates whose families earn $60,000 or less annually. Eligible students would receive two years of free tuition at Ivy Tech Community College or an equivalent amount of $6,000 in need-based aid to use for their first two years at other colleges or universities in Indiana.

“It is up to business and civic leaders to help develop and support plans that will meet the state's higher education needs for the next 25 years, and I believe that our state's future depends upon providing increased access to affordable, high-quality education,” Behrs said. “If the Hoosier College Promise is approved, it will make an associate’s degree an affordable and attainable goal for all Indiana high school graduates, and SMWC is excited about the opportunity to help these students continue on the path to a bachelor’s degree.”

For more information about scholarships and financial aid at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, contact the SMWC Office of Admission by email at smwcadms@smwc.edu or by phone at 812-535-5106 or 1-800-926-SMWC.