Yale announces fund for New Haven students to attend college in state

The program, called New Haven Promise, will pay full tuition for New Haven high school students to attend any public college or university in Connecticut.

“If you do your part, and you work hard and excel in school, we’ll do our part to make sure you have the resources you need to achieve your full potential,” Levin said during the announcement, according to the Yale Daily News.

To qualify, students must graduate with a cumulative 3.0 grade point average from a New Haven public school and maintain at least a 2.5 GPA in college. During high school, the students must complete 40 hours of community service, cannot be expelled and cannot miss more than 10 percent of school days.

Among state universities in Connecticut, the University of Connecticut charges the highest in-state tuition, at $8,064 for the current academic year. The Connecticut State University system schools each charge roughly $4,000 for in-state tuition.

New Haven Promise will also provide $2,500 in tuition for students who choose to attend one of 16 eligible in-state private colleges, including Yale, Wesleyan University and Quinnipiac University.

Yale has committed $4 million annually for seven years of the program, funding the education of students who are now in high school. The remainder of the program's annual $4.5 million cost will be funded by the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.

Current high school seniors will receive 25 percent of tuition in the program’s inaugural year; juniors will receive 50 percent and sophomores 75 percent, while students who are now freshmen will receive full tuition.

Yale will decide whether to continue funding the program based on its initial success.

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Yale’s move comes at a time of tight finances for the university, but Levin said that the initiative mirrors Yale’s admission policy.

The program is an attempt to encourage students to attend college and combat a 38 percent high school dropout rate in New Haven, DeStefano told The New York Times. A press release before the announcement called it “the most significant announcement ever to be made in New Haven.”