Pa. students to receive more financial help

About 1,000 YSU students are from the Keystone State.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Two new initiatives at Youngstown State University will offer increased financial aid opportunities for students from Pennsylvania.
The university also will offer housing awards for eligible students from Pennsylvania and elsewhere.
YSU is doubling the amount Pennsylvania students receive through the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Awards program beginning in the fall semester.
In previous years, the university matched the amount awarded through the program. Beginning in the fall, YSU will double the match, said Gina McHenry, YSU financial aid and scholarships' associate director.
Nearly 1,000 of YSU's 13,000 students are from Pennsylvania.
"We would like to increase the number of Pennsylvania students who enroll at YSU," said Elaine Ruse, YSU financial aid and scholarships' director. "This is one way we can make it even more affordable."
The assistance awards are available to undergraduate Pennsylvania students enrolled in an approved program of study that requires at least two years to complete.
Other funds
YSU also added three Pennsylvania school districts -- Sharon, Farrell and New Castle -- to the list of schools eligible for its Martin Luther King Inner City award.
The award allows graduates of selected high schools to receive up to $1,500 annually to attend YSU beginning in the fall semester, Ruse said. The amount is up from $700 this past semester.
Also eligible for the awards are students in Youngstown, Warren, Campbell, Struthers and Niles school districts.
The award is available to students who demonstrate financial need, maintain a cumulative grade-point average of at least a 2.5, and are registered for at least six credit hours.
Beginning in the fall, YSU also will increase its housing awards for qualified students from anywhere. The grants are being increased from $1,500 to $2,000.
The grants can be applied to the costs of room and board in YSU's residence halls or in its 403-bed University Courtyard Apartments complex.
The grant is need-based. To apply, go to YSU's financial aid Web site, www.ysu.edu/finaid.