(THE COLLEGE FIX) -- While private schools with billion-dollar endowments bicker with politicians over coronavirus relief funding, a small Catholic university in eastern Ohio is offering a semester of free tuition for all new students.
Franciscan University of Steubenville announced last week it would launch a financial assistance program called “Step in Faith” that offers a semester of free tuition for all new students by tapping into reserve funds.
While acknowledging the program may help maintain or perhaps increase enrollment, it is primarily designed to aid students disadvantaged by the economic crisis brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to campus officials.