Financial aid at college is never perfect. FAFSAs report back that a family does not get as much assistance as anticipated. A student loan from the bank doesn’t go through.

College isn’t necessarily affordable. However, students at Rowan University are actually lucky. Yes, there are mixups with financial aid. Yes, a lot of individuals continue to struggle to make ends meet. But overall, Rowan students are lucky to attend a school which offers countless other means, aside from financial aid, to help us pay the bills.

According to college calculator, Rowan is the eighth cheapest college in the state of New Jersey. This is no small feat in a state that has 62 colleges and universities.

For an institution that’s been rapidly investing in its own growth, Houshmand’s promise to not raise tuition over the rate of inflation is quite generous.

Aside from this, Rowan offers generous merit-based scholarships offered without any additional application if incoming freshman apply before Jan. 31. Students are awarded money based on their high school GPA and standardized test scores. This doesn’t stop here. Students frequently receive emails to apply to an SGA sponsored scholarship and Rowan’s website lists dozens more.

Most recently, Rowan has become more creative with other aid. Just on Friday, Rowan was awarded $1 million by Give Something Back to fund scholarships for individuals who are applicable for Pell Grants and face economic hardships or other challenges such as the incarceration of a parent or foster care. That’s a big chunk of change solely devoted to students in need.

About a month ago, our very own Ali Houshmand unveiled his very own line of hot sauces. He branded them and grew some of the peppers in his own garden. A hot wings contest kicked it off. Now the money from sales will go to funding student scholarships.

The start of such a program garnered attention of dozens of Philadelphia and southern New Jersey media outlets. A video on Houshmand even made it to Now This.

Ultimately, Rowan’s efforts to help students afford their education is a gift. While its aid might never be perfect, it’s clear our university is committed to letting students walk away with a diploma in hand and as little debt as they can.

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