AMES, Iowa (KCCI) — Iowa State University is ending a program that promised free tuition to some Des Moines students, citing funding concerns and uncertainty about sustaining the effort long term.
The ISU 4U Promise Program, a partnership between Iowa State and Des Moines Public Schools, was designed to make college more accessible and affordable to students at King and Moulton Elementary Schools. Students who attended either of those schools, graduated from high school, and were accepted to Iowa State could attend tuition-free. The schools are among the district’s most diverse and are located in one of the city’s poorest ZIP codes.
The program helped first-generation college students like sisters Cyntechy Boduro and Promise Barford, who said the scholarship made college possible and helped them thrive at Iowa State, where they have earned academic honors…