Mary Baldwin removes tuition barriers for low-income students

STAUNTON, Va. (WHSV) - Mary Baldwin University has launched a program that eliminates 100% of tuition costs for some incoming students.

For students whose families make less than $60,000, Access MBU removes those bills.

“Access MBU opens the doors for a lot of families in Virginia, particularly those from low-income backgrounds to give them a Mary Baldwin, private school education with no tuition costs,” said Vice President of Enrollment Management, Matthew Munsey.

Low-income students starting at Mary Baldwin in Fall 2023 will be able to participate in Access MBU, which is a combination of institutional, state and federal funds.

“Traditionally here at Mary Baldwin, we’ve been able to support about 60% of our students being Pell-eligible,” said Munsey.

Munsey said the program has already piqued the community’s interest.

“We’ve gotten a lot of interest, particularly from local schools to come in and do individual appointments and meet with their high school seniors to talk not only about this program but the type of support they’d be eligible to receive here at Mary Baldwin,” said Munsey.

Access MBU lifts the weight of tuition, but it also eases the fears of graduating with thousands of dollars of student debt.

“We believe the accessibility and affordability of a high quality should be based on a student’s academic performance, talent and character, not just their finances.”