HILO Hawaii
Imagine going back to college in your late 20s or even your 30s or 40s to finish an undergraduate degree. There would be homework, tests and rubbing shoulders with much younger students.
The University of Hawaii-Hilo is joining a growing list of institutions helping older students do just that through the Osher Reentry Scholarship Program.
The Bernard Osher Foundation established the program in 2005 to aid people, ideally aged 25 to 50, whose college studies at a four-year campus were interrupted by circumstances beyond their control at least five years ago and who now want to go back to school.
Such students may have left school due to financial or family problems, said Alyson Kakugawa-Leong, UH-Hilo’s director of media relations.
Under the program, the university with an enrollment of 3,608 plans to award about 25 older students scholarships of approximately $2,000 per year. In-state undergraduate tuition for the Hilo campus is $1,764 per semester, while out-of-state residents pay $5,532.
Students who are eligible for a scholarship include part-time or full-time undergraduates pursuing a first bachelor’s degree in any field of study who would have difficulty paying regular tuition and expenses.
