Fayetteville State’s 30/60/90 Free Summer School Program Experiences Explosive Growth, Gains Support
Fayetteville, N.C. — (June 21, 2022) Students at Fayetteville State University are making the most of its 30/60/90 Free Summer School Program — an initiative launched in 2021 that offers free tuition and fees for up to seven credit hours for undergraduates and three credit hours for College of Education graduate students, plus books, room and board — to help keep students on track towards graduation in four years or less. In only its second year, the program has grown more than 50 % with an 80 % jump in summer school housing.
“We want our students not only enrolling at FSU but ultimately graduating at FSU in 4 years or less. Therefore, it’s critically important that we do all we can to help remove barriers in order for our students to do so,” said FSU Chancellor Darrell T. Allison. “Student retention and 4-year graduation are among our top priorities for student success and this program will be a solid resource to ensure that our students have every opportunity to achieve here at Fayetteville State University.”
To date, 2,254 students are registered for Free Summer School, 165 of whom are College of Education graduate students. Nearly half of the undergraduate registrants are seniors looking to complete their baccalaureate requirements or reduce their academic load. More than half of fall 2021 first-time students (includes true freshmen and transfers) are also registered.
“The Free Summer School Program has been a phenomenal success not only in helping close the gap for students who may have fallen behind due to COVID or other circumstances, but also in aiding students to exercise greater flexibility in their majors or even consider a minor or double major,” said Monica Leach, Ed.D., FSU provost and senior vice chancellor for Academic Affairs. “The impact is profound. We can see significant increases in graduation and retention rates along with growth in a critical labor force as new educators enter the workforce.”
On June 17, 2022, FSU announced its largest single gift ever to the university of $5.8 million from Anonymous Trust.