Officials in Montana choose not to prioritize free college in the upcoming years because they would rather keep tuition prices low, according to the Director of Financial Aid at the University of Montana, Kent McGowan.
“The Montana State Legislature shows no interest in Financial Aid Programs, and would like to keep college affordable by keeping tuition prices low,” said McGowan. There are other ways to make college affordable, including scholarships, tuition waivers, and Financial Aid programs. The average tuition price is $14,796 to attend a 4 year college in Montana, according to College Navigator.
Records show that the U of M budgeted $12 Million for financial aid, scholarships, and tuition waivers in 2017, and went over the budget by thousands of dollars. McGowan said this is due to an inaccurate prediction of funds available. The other leading university in Montana budgeted $23 million, but only used $21 million in 2016.
Claire, an American University student, was enrolled in an AU Scholars Program that cut a third of the tuition fee through a political leadership program. She believes financial aid and academic waivers are beneficial, and can help more students attend college, in order to have a career.
MSU and U of M provide many scholarship opportunities for students to attend college. Some of these are offered upon acceptance, while others must be requested during enrollment,according to College Scholarships.Org. The tuition waivers have specific criteria that can make a student eligible to apply. Scholarships can be offered through the college, or by departments such as art, music, sports, etc. These universities also offer work-study to lower the cost of tuition for students.
Montana has no interest in free college currently, but the Director of Financial Aid at MSU, Brandi L. Payne said she hopes to achieve it someday. According to CNBC, Montana has the third cheapest tuition rates in the country.