Questbridge offers disadvantaged students education opportunities
The Questbridge National College Match program partners with 39 prestigious U.S. universities and “matches” four-year scholarship recipients to them.
Only a small percentage of the United States population can afford to pay the sticker price at a prestigious collegiate institution, so the majority of the degree-seeking population is forced to look at scholarships to support the huge financial endeavor. But for a handful of low-income, high-achieving students at White Station, one program makes attending a top school a realistic possibility.
In 2018, the program received over 16,000 application, but cuts were made, and 6,507 applicants were named finalists.
“I first heard about QuestBridge through my own internet research about scholarship opportunities for lower-income students,” finalist Kaitlin Mottley (12) said. “After researching, I felt that QuestBridge was a perfect organization for me.”
The Questbridge National College Match program is designed to match students who have a strong high school academic record and an annual household income of less than $65,000 to a selective institution.
“I was planning on applying to the University of Southern California before the QuestBridge offer, but the more I looked into it, the more the chances began to slim,” finalist Erick Figueroa said. “I only had about a thousand dollars saved for college.”
Questbridge also pushes students to apply to universities that they normally would not consider feasible options.
“QuestBridge definitely encouraged me to reach out and go for top colleges,” Mottley said. “Before this process, I would have never believed that going to a world-renowned college would be a choice for me, but now I feel like something as life-changing as that is within my reach.”
Matched students are then selected and awarded a four year scholarship to make attendance possible. In 2017, the number of scholarship recipients was just under 1,000. As these students await the final decision about the award, they are starting to notice the effects of being a candidate for this opportunity. “QuestBridge has motivated me to work harder,” Figueroa said, “but more important is the financial burden that is slowly lifting from my future.”
For information on the scholarship:
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