Post-pandemic, prospective college students tend to stay closer to home and be more cost-conscious when deciding where to pursue higher education. In response to these trends, Drake introduced two financial aid opportunities specifically designed for Iowa students: The Bulldog Promise and The Bright College Pathway.
The Bulldog Promise provides four years of full-tuition coverage for students pursuing a bachelor’s degree. Beginning this fall, any incoming first-year student who is an Iowa resident, has a 3.8 GPA at time of admission and qualifies for the Federal Pell Grant through the 2025-2026 FAFSA will be awarded The Bulldog Promise.
Grace Wenzel, associate director of undergraduate admission and Bright College recruitment, was a vocal proponent of creating these financial aid opportunities. Iowa students have many options for higher education, and Wenzel wants to make it easier for students to choose Drake.
“This financial aid program is really hopefully going to remove the cost barrier for students that certainly would make great Bulldogs,” Wenzel said.
Other Iowa colleges have similar programs for Iowa residents who demonstrate financial need, including All-In for Iowa at Simpson College and GV Next at Grandview University. According to Wenzel, Drake competes with Simpson and Grandview for Des Moines Public Schools students.
“Living in Des Moines and working with these DMPS kids, the perception of Drake is that it’s a school for smart, rich kids, and a lot of students just opt out because they don’t see themselves in that way,” Wenzel said.
The Bulldog Promise fully covers tuition, but recipients who choose to live on campus would still have to pay for housing and purchase a meal plan. Wenzel said Drake has seen the most interest from Des Moines area students because they can live at home while taking advantage of these tuition coverage opportunities.
The Bright College Pathway is similar to The Bulldog Promise, but it has no GPA requirement and only covers two years for an associate’s degree through the John Dee Bright College. If a student receiving tuition coverage through The Bright College Pathway decides to pursue a four-year degree at Drake, the full-tuition aid will not transfer over, but they will receive “robust financial aid,” according to the University’s website.
For Bright College Student Senator Gabrielle Brooks, Bright College already offered a financially accessible education, and she thinks it is amazing that The Bright College Pathway will open more doors for future students.
“Education shouldn’t be stopped by economic barriers, which is really what Bright College is all about,” Brooks said. “Making sure to open up those lines of access will give us a more diverse, educated populace that can lead to greater social change, higher opportunities for those, especially those in the state of Iowa, who wouldn’t have had those opportunities otherwise.”
Wenzel believes that the increased socioeconomic diversity these programs will bring to Drake will be beneficial to the campus community as a whole.
“Financial diversity on a college campus can really enhance students’ experiences,” Wenzel said. “Hearing from different people with different backgrounds and different life experiences just informs how you live and move in the world. And the more that we can bring all types of students to campus, I think the better.”
Over the past few years, Drake has faced budget deficits due to declining enrollment. According to Wenzel, these financial aid opportunities are a solution to Drake’s enrollment problem, not something that will exacerbate the University’s financial difficulties. The students who will be receiving The Bulldog Promise and The Bright College Pathway will already have some tuition covered by the Presidential Scholarship, a Federal Pell Grant and the Iowa Tuition Grant, and the new programs will just cover the remainder.
