All the difference in the world

Colleges and universities across the nation continue to focus on efforts to close the achievement gap at their institutions. At Ohio State, among a number of other steps, we have committed more than $100 million in additional need-based aid for low- and moderate-income students since 2015.

While large-scale initiatives like this one tend to make headlines, sometimes smaller, more behind-the-scenes actions make all the difference in the world to our students.

One example: completion grants. These go to students who are very near to graduation but unable to register due to a financial hold on their records. This year, we awarded 158 completion grants, up from just seven in 2011-12. These grants typically average about $1,000. College graduates earn an estimated $1 million more in the workforce over their lifetimes. What a great investment!

I recently sat down with Sue Desmond-Hellmann, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to talk about this and other initiatives. Read more about Ohio State’s participation in completion grant programs funded by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and University Innovation Alliance.