$500,000 Fund to Support Scholarships for Low-Income Students

• The 2023 Progress, Accomplishment, Thriving, Hope (PATH) Scholarship Program is funded by the Ellucian Foundation.
• The PATH program will accept applications for U.S. institutions until May 12.
• Two-year schools are eligible to participate in the U.S. if they participate in federal Title IV student aid programs.

Community colleges are the focus of a $500,000 round of funding to provide scholarships to financially disadvantaged students, the Ellucian Foundation announced last week.

Applications are now open for colleges to apply for the 2023 Progress, Accomplishment, Thriving, Hope (PATH) Scholarship Program.

That program will include grants to two-year public colleges in the United States, as well as eligible higher education institutions in Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Ireland, Lebanon, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, according to the foundation's press release.

Ellucian Foundation Executive Director Jen Welding described community colleges in the release as playing "a vital role in providing access to higher education for underserved students, offering an affordable and flexible learning pathway to a better life," in the United States.

The PATH program will accept applications for U.S. institutions until May 12, and for internationally eligible schools until May 26, according to the release. That scholarship has provided more than $1.6 million in scholarships to more than 1,900 students since its inception in 2020, according to the release. A full list of 2022 institutions that received grants as part of the program is available online.

"Students across the globe cite lack of financial resources among the biggest obstacles to achieving their educational goals," Laura Ipsen, president and CEO of the higher education technology company Ellucian, said in the release. "We are proud to support students through The Ellucian Foundation's PATH Scholarship Program, helping those facing financial hardship stay in school and complete their program of study."

Two-year schools are eligible to participate in the U.S. if they participate in federal Title IV student aid programs, according to the release. And nonprofit international schools in eligible countries can apply if they "are approved by the country's ministry of higher education (or other national government ministry) to provide associate or bachelor's degrees."

Community colleges often serve as anchor institutions in their communities and key access points to higher education, particularly for historically underserved communities.

BestColleges previously reported that working and paying for expenses are often cited as top challenges by community college students, and a variety of scholarships and other financial aid opportunities are available to students.

"Funding with my bills will take some of my worries and stress away so I can concentrate and finish school, which will be a dream come true," a 2022 PATH Scholarship recipient from Central Carolina Technical College said of the program, according to the release.

More than half of U.S. states already have some form of free community college, BestColleges previously reported, and others are looking to enact a free community college program this year.

Nationwide free community college is also up for discussion.

President Joe Biden's most recent budget proposal includes $90 billion for free community college, BestColleges reported, as well as a lighter $500 million grant program to provide free community college at select institutions that apply for the grant.