UNK focuses on community college transfer students with new scholarship program

Helping students who wish to transfer to the University of Nebraska at Kearney from a Nebraska community college is the focus of a new fundraising program called Loper Advantage that’s been started by UNK and the University of Nebraska Foundation.

Transfer students make up 6.5 percent of UNK’s current undergraduate population, a percentage that is expected to continue increasing. While some transfer students may have received scholarships in the past, no scholarship program existed that was exclusively designed to help them.

“Many UNK transfer students from community colleges are the first in their family to go to college, are often of modest means and are in need of financial support to complete their college educations,” said Ed Scantling, UNK’s associate vice chancellor for academic services and enrollment management. “We want to be the first choice for these students and all community college students who want to earn a four-year degree in Nebraska.”

Lucas Dart, vice president of alumni relations and development at the University of Nebraska Foundation, said all gifts of $1,000 or more to the Loper Advantage Scholarship Fund will be matched at a 1-1 ratio.

“This is a great way to double the impact a donor may have, as UNK will match all gifts of $1,000 or more on a dollar-to-dollar basis,” he said. “So a $1,000 gift will immediately become a $2,000 gift.”

Every gift to the Loper Advantage Scholarship Fund will go to help a qualified student, with scholarship awards determined by UNK. Matching gifts are offered for the next two years with total matching funds of $200,000 available.

Brenna Schroer of Hastings is an example of a student who transferred to UNK and who’s grateful for scholarship support to help her meet her education goals. She transferred from Hastings Community College and now studies occupational therapy and exercise science at UNK. She was able to receive a scholarship award through another university scholarship fund.

“I was excited about the scholarship, because it meant I could pursue my bachelor’s degree without having to borrow quite as much,” she said.

Students selected for the Loper Advantage Scholarship will receive a $2,000 scholarship for each of the two years they attend UNK toward completion of an undergraduate degree.

“This scholarship will help make it possible for exceptional students who started on their path to success at a community college to transfer that success to UNK and then on to our communities once they graduate,” Dart said.

To learn more about the Loper Advantage Scholarship or other charitable options to help UNK, visit nufoundation.org/loperadvantage.
For further assistance, contact Kristin Howard, director of special programs, at University of Nebraska Foundation at 308-698-5276 or [email protected].