Temple Promises To Pay Tuition For Some Incoming Students

Temple University is launching a new last-dollar financial aid program for first-time, full-time incoming freshmen from Philadelphia. 

The Temple Promise program will cover the remaining costs for students whose families make $65,000 a year or less after additional federal, state, and scholarship aid. Temple’s Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, Jose Aviles, says the new program will help further Temple’s mission. 

“The data showed very clearly that when you look at students from Philadelphia County and the financial reality of paying for higher education, it was clear it was a barrier. Temple Promise is a bold idea to be able to remove that financial barrier and allow these students to access higher education, which truly is mission-centric and is the foundation of this institution,” said Aviles. 

Prospective students and their families agree Temple Promise will open doors for the Philadelphia community. 

“As a parent, I think the program is great. It’ll actually benefit a lot of families in Philadelphia, and it’ll help more students in Philadelphia actually attend college and give them the confidence to stay all four years,” said prospective student mom Tamika Jenkins. 

The program has a cap of 11.3 million dollars, but some students have concerns about whether that will be enough. 

“I think it’s a really great idea; I think it would be incredible for Temple to be able to implement this. Honestly, it sounds a little unrealistic; I don’t know if they can actually put their money where their mouth is,” Temple Senior Riley Flanagan said. 

Temple is optimistic that the Temple Promise program will inspire more enrollment and bring more money to the university to offset some of the cost. 

To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be a first-year undergraduate student for fall 2024, have a permanent Philadelphia address, attend Temple University’s Ambler or Main Campus, enroll full-time with 12-18 credit hours, be working towards their first bachelor’s degree, file the 2024-2025 FASFA by April 1, 2024, be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen, and have a family adjusted gross income of $65,000 or less.