{"id":200922,"date":"2025-12-25T22:03:41","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T03:03:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/?p=200922"},"modified":"2025-12-25T22:03:44","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T03:03:44","slug":"bluffton-u-updates-be-a-beaver-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2025\/12\/25\/bluffton-u-updates-be-a-beaver-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Bluffton U. updates Be a Beaver program"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Submitted information<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BLUFFTON — Bluffton University is strengthening its commitment to access and affordability by expanding key financial aid initiatives designed to make a high-quality Bluffton education attainable for more students and families, including those from Van Wert County.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bluffton\u2019s \u201cBe a Beaver Program\u201d has been updated to broaden eligibility and better reflect today\u2019s financial aid landscape. The program now guarantees full tuition coverage for qualifying students based on a Student Aid Index (SAI) of 0 or less, using a combination of federal, state and Bluffton University aid. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
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Changes have been made to Bluffton’s Be a Beaver program. Photo submitted<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

To qualify for the Be a Beaver Program, students must: 
\u2022 Apply and be accepted as a first-time freshman 
\u2022 File the FAFSA and receive an SAI of 0 or less 
\u2022 Hold a 3.1 cumulative high school GPA 
\u2022 Maintain full-time enrollment until graduation <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The award remains renewable for up to four years, provided students continue to meet academic progress and financial aid requirements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen tremendous interest in Bluffton\u2019s academic programs and affordability initiatives,\u201d said Claire Kleman, vice president of advancement and enrollment management. \u201cBy expanding the Be a Beaver Program to be based on Student Aid Index, we are opening the door for even more students to benefit from this support and continue to remove barriers for families navigating college costs.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bluffton has also expanded its County Connect Grant to two more counties. This grant automatically awards $1,000 to students who live in or attend high school in Allen, Hancock, Hardin, Putnam and now Auglaize or Van Wert counties in Ohio. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cStudents from surrounding counties continue to show strong interest in Bluffton\u2019s programs,\u201d Kleman said. \u201cBy expanding the County Connect Grant, we want to ensure these students and families know they have meaningful opportunities for financial support close to home.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese initiatives reinforce Bluffton\u2019s long-standing mission of providing a high-value education that prepares students for responsible lives and vocations,\u201d said Bluffton University president, Dr. Alex Sider. \u201cWe want every student who is ready to succeed at Bluffton to know that cost will not stand in their way.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bluffton University\u2019s commitment to academic quality and value has been affirmed through national recognition with Best Colleges rankings, including honors related to affordability and strong career outcomes, further underscoring the university\u2019s focus on student success and return on investment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bluffton\u2019s expanded affordability initiatives will take effect beginning with students entering in fall 2026. Students interested in these opportunities can apply for admission at www.bluffton.edu\/apply. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Submitted information BLUFFTON — Bluffton University is strengthening its commitment to access and affordability by expanding key financial aid initiatives designed to make a high-quality Bluffton education attainable for more students and families, including those from Van Wert County.\u00a0 Bluffton\u2019s \u201cBe a Beaver Program\u201d has been updated to broaden eligibility and better reflect today\u2019s financial […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-200922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-22 18:55:42","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200922","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=200922"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200922\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":200924,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200922\/revisions\/200924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=200922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=200922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=200922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}