Stacie Drane, left, at her 2013 Franklin College graduation ceremony with her brother, Josh Tanksley and grandmother, Beverly Miller. With help from the Franklin Fund and 21st Century Scholars Program, Drane went to college tuition free.
Without the 21st Century Scholars Program, she likely wouldn’t have been able to go to a four-year college.
Stacie Drane graduated from Franklin College in 2013. There, she triple-majored in art history, studio art painting and studio art design, met her husband, traveled and worked in the graphics field for about six years. She’s since left her career to take care of her daughter. Those events may very well have not occurred if the 21st Century Scholars Program did not exist, Drane said.
The program, established in 1990, provides a way for students who qualify for free and reduced-price lunch to go to any Indiana public college or university for four years, tuition-free. Eligible students, who also must be Indiana residents and U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens, sign up for the program in their seventh or eighth-grade year. In high school, those students must maintain at least a 2.5 GPA, file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, and not partake in illegal activities, such as drug and alcohol use. As college students, they must complete at least 30 credit hours each year to stay on track, according to the program’s website.
For students who go to private institutions, such as Franklin College, colleges will supplement partial aid from the 21st Century Scholars Program so students pay little to no tuition out of pocket. The money Drane got from the program was supplemented by the Franklin Fund, which uses money from private donors to award scholarships to students, said Andrew Hendricks, the college’s athletic director.
“The 21st Century Scholars Program did so much for me, and the Franklin Fund. With those, in combination, I was able to go to a private school,” Drane said. “Without that, I wouldn’t have been able to go to college without being completely in debt. At the time, it probably wouldn’t be an option for me coming from a different income. It definitely opened doors for me that wouldn’t have been open.”
Even though there are plenty of students who fit the eligibility requirements, far fewer students enroll in the program. In Johnson County, the percentage of eligible eighth graders enrolled ranges from 10.7% at Franklin Community School Corporation to 30.3% at Greenwood Community School Corporation, which is less than the state average of 32.6%, according to data from the Indiana Department of Education’s Indiana GPS dashboard.
Center Grove Middle School North holds parents’ nights to encourage enrollment and sends information home with students regarding the scholars program, many families still let the opportunity slip by because of when they have to enroll, said Ruthie Leeth, a counselor at the school.
At Center Grove Community School Corporation, just 21.4% of eligible students enroll in the scholars program, according to the dashboard.
“Parents have a lot on their plate and when students are in seventh or eighth grade, they’re not thinking about college scholarships. It also sounds like a program that’s too good to be true and usually they are, but this one’s not,” she said. “You’re really going to get free tuition at a public Indiana college. The catch is they have to do it in seventh and eighth grade, when college scholarships are not on parents’ radars.”
Indiana Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago, authored House Bill 1449, which would make enrollment in the 21st Century Scholars Program automatic for eligible students, including students who receive free and reduced-price lunch and students in foster care. It’s something Gov. Eric Holcomb signaled he would support ahead of the 2023 legislative session, giving the legislation a needed boost as it heads to discussion with the House Committee on Education next week, Harris said.
“The more people get enrolled, the more people go to college and graduate,” Harris said. “It helps with our workforce needs. More people will have an education post-high school and it’s better for them as individuals, but it’s also better for us as a state. Businesses need people who have training and education.”
Since the program’s inception 33 years ago, more than 50,000 21st Century Scholars have earned a college degree. Four in five students enrolled in the program have gone on to college, compared to 53% of Hoosier students overall, and 37% of scholars graduate on time, a 14% increase over the past five years, said Ali Szymanski, east region outreach coordinator for the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.
For Bailey Ford, an Indiana University freshman who graduated from Indian Creek High School, the 21st Century Scholars Program has resulted in about $20,000 a year in savings, Ford said.
“If I didn’t have that scholarship, it would have been very difficult to go here. My mom is a single parent and she just has a single income. She was able to pay for my room and board and books,” she said. “I probably would have to commute (from Morgantown) and not be able to live at the dorm or have a meal plan.”
In high school, Ford knew students who had no idea about the program, something that could be solved with automatic enrollment, she said.
“I think it would make a huge difference,” Ford said. “Honestly there are a lot of students in my graduating class who weren’t enrolled but I felt they would most definitely benefit. Since it was brought up to us at such a young age, a lot of people didn’t realize how impactful it would’ve been.”
Xiomara Martinez, a Greenwood Community High School graduate who is also a freshman at Indiana University, is one of three sisters who earned financial assistance through the scholars program.
“I knew it would take a lot of stress off my parents financially. I knew it would be a great experience and an opportunity to continue my education,” Martinez said. “If people are automatically enrolled, it will spread awareness and keep them up to date. They’ll know more about the future knowing they’ll be able to pay for college.”
To learn more about the 21st Century Scholars Program, visit scholar.in.gov
