Palmer launches effort so every student can earn a scholarship.
Chiropractic College admissions are highly competitive, with the reputation of the degree, the quality of facilities and the cost of tuition all critical factors in a prospective student’s decision.
Palmer College of Chiropractic awards more than $4 million in scholarships to Palmer students every year. Last year, more than 40% of all Palmer students received a scholarship. But more scholarships are needed. The College will continue to attract and graduate the very best chiropractors of tomorrow by working to remove the financial barriers many students face.
With this in mind, Palmer is embarking on an initiative with a bold vision — to ensure every Palmer student receives a scholarship.
The new Student Success Scholarship Initiative was established to provide financial support to all students who have the passion and drive to become a Doctor of Chiropractic at the best chiropractic college in the world. The program comprises two endowed scholarships: the Academic Scholarship and the Opportunity Scholarship. The Academic Scholarship requires a minimum GPA, while the Opportunity Scholarship doesn’t, making every incoming student a potential recipient. The combination of the two scholarships will continue Palmer’s drive to recruit and admit the best of the best.
“Today, most of our incoming-student academic scholarships are based on undergraduate GPA, and we’ll continue to offer those scholarships to attract academically high-achieving students,” says Michael Norris, Ph.D., vice chancellor of admissions. “However, there are so many more qualities that make our students the best and brightest future chiropractors, and that’s why I’m so excited about the Opportunity Scholarship. The fund will allow us to award scholarships based on qualitative attributes to those prospective students we think will flourish at Palmer.”
The tradition of Palmer alumni and friends supporting students through scholarships goes back generations, with some of the College’s oldest active scholarships having been established by alumni from the 1910s and 1920s. Today’s alumni have expressed a desire to support students by growing broad-based scholarships, giving students greater access to financial support without the burden of debt.
“As we meet with alumni, we hear time and again how important it is to them that we are able to make a chiropractic education affordable,” says Barbara Melbourne, J.D., vice chancellor for institutional advancement. “And because more and more alumni are stepping up to make donations to support scholarships, we are able to be bold in our vision to one day offer a scholarship to every student who wishes to attend Palmer College.”
Existing endowed scholarship funds are providing a foundation on which the Student Success Scholarship Initiative is built, and any additional gifts will not only support students but will also boost the College’s endowment.
For more information on how you can support the Student Success Scholarship Initiative, call the Palmer College Advancement Office at 563-884-5453.
MORE: Read more from the Spring 2023 issue of Palmer Proud Magazine.
