RIT on TV News: Rochester Scholarship Program

13WHAM-TV reports on a new scholarship program at Rochester Institute of Technology that will ensure free tuition to the university for qualified students from the Rochester City School District.

Rochester City School students can get a free ride to RIT. Rochester Institute of Technology announced Tuesday morning that it will cover tuition for all city school graduates whose families make less than $60,000 per year and who meet admissions requirements. The students must attend city high schools and reside in the city school district for three years.

The school says the new scholarship, along with federal and state grants, will equal full-tuition at RIT, which is currently $28,866 per year.

RIT President Bill Destler says he hopes the scholarship inspires more city students to graduate from high school and attend college.

Twenty-three RCSD graduates enrolled as freshman this semester at RIT, a number the college would like to increase.

"Im hopeful that those students will see this as a real incentive, a real opportunity for them," Destler said.

Destler and his wife are contributing $150,000 a year of their own money to the scholarship.

RIT estimates that it will pick up two-thirds of the tuition costs, and that state and federal grants will make up the rest. Nearly 90 percent of city school students live in poverty, according to the superintendent.

The University of Rochester offers $25,000 per year for four years to RCSD graduates. The program enrolled 9 students in 2008 and 11 in 2009. U of R also offers scholarships to International Baccalaureate students at Wilson High School. This semester, there are 33 freshman who graduated from Wilson with IB diplomas; two of them were awarded full tuition scholarships.

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