Morningside University hosted a booth at the Golden Circle College and Career Fair Sept. 22, 2024. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Morningside University in Sioux City will offer first-time students in the “Siouxland” region the chance to receive aid to cover all tuition costs, expanding on its efforts to make a Morningside degree more accessible.
Up to 100 students will be selected from a region comprising 23 Iowa counties, 17 Nebraska counties and seven South Dakota counties to receive full tuition coverage through the university’s Siouxland Proud, Mside Bound Initiative, according to a news release.
Most counties will have two students selected, but up to four students from Woodbury County in Iowa, Dakota County in Nebraska and Union County in South Dakota could receive funds.
Erin Edlund, Morningside chief of staff and vice president for university engagement, said in the release that the university considers making itself more accessible to Siouxland students a “top priority.”
“Often, the students and families from this area who choose Morningside are the same fans and supporters already attending events and making our campus community more vibrant,” Edlund said in the release. “We want those relationships to continue to flourish, and this initiative helps ensure that students and families here in the tri-state area understand that being a private university doesn’t mean attending Morningside is financially out of reach.”
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
To qualify for the program, students must live or attend a school district in one of these counties, as well as be accepted to the university to enroll as a first-time, full-time student living on campus. They must also complete the FAFSA by Jan. 31 and be Pell Grant eligible, according to the release, and fill out an interest form that can be found online.
Applications will go through a selection committee and be evaluated based on academic and financial criteria, the release stated, and selected students will be announced by mid-February.
According to the release, the Siouxland Proud, Mside Bound Initiative expands upon the university’s Access to Mside program, which provides financial aid through scholarships and grants in different amounts to first-time students, based on their residency and Pell Grant eligibility. Students applying to the new initiative will qualify for Access to Mside as well.
“This program reaffirms our commitment to serving the Siouxland area by increasing accessibility to higher education, which continues to be the best way to a more prosperous future,” Morningside President Albert Mosley said in the release. “We are excited to support students in Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota in achieving their goals during and after college.”
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.