Eligible WKU Freshmen Offered Free Tuition in Fall 2021

By now, we've all heard of the "quarantine 15," right? It's a play on the "freshman 15"--the amount of weight we're supposed to gain in our first years of college.

Well I went to Western Kentucky University and started my college experience in Barnes-Campbell Hall, a dormitory at the bottom of the hill.

All of my classes were at the top of the hill, so I never understood how in the world I could have gained 15 pounds. And, more than likely, I didn't. I mean, let's face it. You're walking up that enormous hill five days a week; you're a college student, so you're hardly flush with so much cash that you can eat out all the time (we had student cards for on-campus dining); and you're always busy.

Plus, I had the flu my second semester. Freshmen 15? Fuhgeddaboutit.

Honestly, I loved my time at Western, hill and all. And I always look forward to the stories from friends' kids who are headed to the Hilltop.

I expect there will be more who head in that direction a year from now, as WKU has made an offer that eligible students can't refuse.

It's called The Hilltopper Guarantee and what it guarantees, according to the school's website, is "100% tuition coverage for any first-time, first-year freshman from Kentucky who receives Pell Grant assistance and has at least a 3.0 cumulative unweighted high school GPA."

This is a remarkable opportunity for financially-challenged students who might not have another pathway to extending their educational experience beyond high school.

If you'd like to apply for admission, click here.