Students optimistic, excited about Ohio State's Education for Citizenship 2025 plan

President Walter "Ted" Carter's "Education for Citizenship 2035" initiative has inspired hope among some students at Ohio State's regional campuses.

During the Sept. 17 State of the University address, Carter announced a new plan in which regional campus students from families who have an adjusted gross income of $100,000 or lower will get their tuition and fees covered once they transfer to Columbus. It's called the Regional Campus Commitment scholarship, per prior Lantern reporting .

Britney Amponsah, a first-year in journalism at the Newark campus, said this initiative is going to encourage more students, especially those from lower- and middle-class homes, to pursue higher education.

"As a student with in-state tuition, my FAFSA didn't cover everything," Amponsah said. "It might be the same way with a lot of other people, and so it definitely makes it a lot easier and a lot cheaper with this plan."

Amponsah said that she has seen the improvement Ohio State has made over the years, and this continues to push its students for greatness, regardless of campus.

"They've made a lot of improvement. My sister went to OSU, she just graduated in 2024, and from her years up until my years, they've always done things to improve OSU," Amponsah said.

Amponsah said that the university has made an effort to help students afford an education through expanded scholarships, saying that they always give out new opportunities.

In Carter's State of the University address, he also announced two other scholarship programs being implemented at Ohio State, one of them being the President's Scholar Program, which offers the full cost of attendance scholarships and academic support to students in Ohio that score a perfect 36 on the ACT or a 1600 on the SAT, according to prior Lantern reporting .

Carter also announced Buckeye Bridge, a partnership with Columbus State that will cover the tuition and fees for Ohio residents who graduate from Columbus State with an associate's degree who plan to attend Ohio State to receive a bachelor's degree, if their adjusted income is $100,000 or lower, according to prior Lantern reporting .

Sophia Walker, a third-year in biology at the Lima campus, said she was very happy that Ohio State implemented the program as many students at the Lima campus work through college.

"Almost over half of our student body is made up of first-generation students and commuters and pretty much all of us work part-time or full-time while in school to pay for our tuition. So I was just very happy that Ohio State made that decision," Walker said.

This plan will also encourage students to enroll in regional campuses then transfer to the Columbus campus, Walker said. She also said that the regional campuses help prepare students who are transferring to Ohio State's Columbus campus.

"Something I can attest to with the Lima campus is how much time and effort they put into the first years and second years into making sure that they are well prepared before they transition to the Columbus campus," Walker said. "I know it can feel very overwhelming. Obviously, it's much larger, and so getting that strong foundation before you transition over to the Columbus campus, I think it's going to benefit a lot of students to start at a regional campus."

About 1,500 students who start their degree at a regional campus move to Columbus to finish their degree each autumn. Additionally, several hundred more do so in the spring and summer, according to Ohio State's campus change website .

Another Lima student, Esperanza Coca, a fourth-year in middle school education, said she felt this can help future students not miss out on a chance for higher education.

"I know a lot of my peers could have definitely used that [scholarship] going into college, and it would have been good for them," Coca said. "Some of them couldn't [attend college] because they didn't have the money, which is unfortunate, because I know a lot of them probably would have exceeded if they were able to do that."

A study by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administration found that 85% of the 14,000 U.S. adults surveyed reported not being enrolled in a collegiate program due to the cost of the degree or credential program.

Jennifer Schlueter, dean and director of the Marion campus at Ohio State, said that the initiative is an important step Ohio State is taking to make education more accessible.

"Access matters a lot to me, and this regional campus commitment from the president just amplifies that, that not only are we open access, but now we're changing the threshold for what it will take to pay to go to college," Schlueter said. "We know college is expensive. We know that's one of the critiques out there in the culture. We know students carry a lot of debt, and we want to serve students who deserve an opportunity."

Optimism is the common theme among students and faculty for the future of Ohio State. Making education accessible is central to the university's mission, Schlueter said.

"We were formed to serve the state of Ohio, and that means that we serve the state of Ohio in a lot of ways," Schlueter said. "We serve by having an incredible research engine. We serve by bringing in world class scholars from around the globe. But we also serve by ensuring that students from the state of Ohio can come here and learn from and with all those things. And so, I hope in the next 10 years, that becomes a core part of what we are internationally known for."