Indiana University Covenant Offers Debt-Free Education

The Torline quadruplets, (from left) Allison, Eric, Vanessa and Melanie, joined
Indiana University's 2008 freshman class by enrolling in the university's 21st Century Scholarship Covenant Program.

What would you do if your quadruplets were ready to go to college, but your family lacked the financial means to send them? Well, if you lived in Indiana, you’d send them to Indiana University, of course. Thanks to IU’s 21st Century Scholarship Covenant, Joe and Cheryl Torline were able to send their children, Allison, Eric, Melanie
and Vanessa, to the state’s flagship institution last fall.

IU created the 21st Century Scholarship Covenant to supplement the state’s 21st Century Scholars Program, which has guaranteed, since 1990, the cost of four years of undergraduate college tuition at any participating public college or university in Indiana to all income-eligible sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders who enroll in the program and fulfill a pledge of good citizenship to the state. Because tuition and fees make up less than half of the total cost of attending college, many students in the program were forced to drop out or else graduate with sizable debt.

A charter member of the College Board’s CollegeKeys Compact™, IU was committed to finding ways to remove any and all financial obstacles to higher education for students. In the summer of 2006, Roger Thompson, IU’s newly appointed vice provost for enrollment management, was tasked with creating a supplemental program for students on the Bloomington campus. Thompson and his task force came up with the idea of the 21st Century Scholarship Covenant, which would reallocate institutional funds to pay the other half of the college costs not covered by the state’s program and allow participants to graduate from IU with no debt from
college loans.

The covenant gained the immediate and enthusiastic support of IU’s provost, president and board of trustees. By November 2006, the covenant had been approved and plans to promote it were under way. The biggest challenge was convincing people that it did all it claimed to do with no hidden surprises. By fall 2007, the first year the covenant was offered, 275 eligible freshmen had enrolled. In fall 2008, that number had nearly doubled, with 471 enrollees, including the Torline quads.

The number of participants had been grossly underestimated, and the costs were greater than originally anticipated. But this was a program that IU believed in. Inspired by other schools with similar programs — like the University of North Carolina, the original signer of the CollegeKeys Compact — the people at IU worked even harder to secure the necessary support for what they’d promised. Thompson explained, “Information that is shared through the CollegeKeys Compact helps all of us to understand what can be done on our campuses to help middle- and low-income families send their children to college. Because 40 percent of covenant members come from minority groups, it also helps to advance the university’s mission of bringing diversity to our campus.” A similar program is being developed at Purdue.

Thompson says that this project is the most meaningful thing he’s ever been involved with. “It’s rewarding to see the impact the covenant has made in families’ lives,” he said. “The day the first enrollees arrived, I met an African American woman moving into the dorm. She had come from a rough high school in Indiana. I asked her if she would be willing to come speak to the media. She agreed. When the reporter asked her what coming to IU meant to her, she answered, with no preparation, `It means that my entire future and my family situation changes.’ She never in her wildest dreams thought she could come to a school like IU, and now her children will have even better opportunities than she did.”

The Torline quads have just completed their freshman year. Though they will always be a close-knit family,
they have enjoyed their first year living in separate residence halls and pursuing their own interests. Melanie
is studying visual arts and hopes to become a graphic arts and theater teacher. Allison is interested in
political science and international relations. Vanessa is interested in journalism and wants to be a writer.
Eric will study music education and vocal performance. All four can follow their dreams, which is an opportunity their parents never had.

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