By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com
A nonprofit school is changing the status quo in higher education. NewU University has created a micro campus model that makes college more affordable without forfeiting the quality of education. At the institution, students gain a bachelor’s degree in three years with tuition and fees averaging out to $3,250 per semester.
Now, it’s proposing a new tuition-free concept to get students into the working world even faster–NewU Early College Public Charter School. The school would merge the 11th and 12th grades with the first two years of college, allowing students to earn up to 80 college credits by the time they graduate high school. Then, they would require just one more year at NewU University to achieve their bachelor’s degree.
The concept is designed to save young people time and money as they seek a degree.
“Unfortunately, we have so many people here in the DMV area who want to get a college degree but can’t afford it. They can’t invest the time or money, or they shy away from loans because who wants to deal with loans for life?” said Stratsi Kulinski, president and founder of NewU University and proposed head of school for the public charter school. “We saw a great opportunity to create a shorter, more affordable and career-focused university, which would meet the needs of students first rather than existing bureaucracy.”
If approved by the D.C. Public Charter School Board, the school would leverage existing Uniform Per Student Funding Formula (UPSFF) dollars to fund the first two years of the program. The final year will be fully financed by NewU University.
“It will be the fastest and, hands-down, most affordable bachelor’s program in the nation, not just in the DMV area,” said Kulinski.
NewU University set out with the vision of serving students who traditionally face barriers, like opportunity costs and affordability, in pursuing higher education. Its first cohort of students started in 2022.
The majority of its student population are first-generation degree seekers and come from low-income households. Nearly 94 percent of the students are eligible for Pell Grants, with 50 percent eligible for the maximum award.
Through its early college program, students could pursue any of NewU University’s five career-focused majors: psychology, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation management, sustainability, and computer and data science.
Though students would begin to tackle college-level courses in high school, they would receive individual learning plans to support them. Class sizes would be limited to 20 to 30 students. In their first year, students would work in learning teams of four to five people, collaborating on homework, projects and exams together.
Ruth Lyons, proposed academic director of NewU Early College Public Charter School, explained that some of the material typically taught in high schoolers’ junior and senior years overlaps with the coursework that students encounter during their first years of college.
For example, NewU University’s “art of persuasion” class mirrors what’s being learned in English language arts. Its “modern world” class parallels history.
“We can build a curriculum that gets the students ready for the rigorous expectations of the university programs we’re offering at NewU University,” said Lyons. “The model speaks to my own ethos of no student left behind.”
Ana Aklamati, parent of a prospective student and former teacher, said NewU Early College Public Charter School would provide D.C. parents with more options for their children. The mother of four said she’s worried over the usual price tag that comes with a college degree.
“I’ve been thinking about college since my daughter was born,” said Aklamati. “I still don’t know how I’m going to afford it, and I’m someone who’s gone to school, has a master’s and has a job.”
In her view, if students must complete high school regardless, they should have more opportunities to get a head start on earning college credits. She also thinks NewU Early College Public Charter School’s tuition-free model can act as an equalizer for high-schoolers to afford higher education.
“Students have the same opportunities, whether they’re from different backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses. They’re all on the same playing field,” said Aklamati. “Everyone has access. It makes things a little more equitable.”
The charter school board vote is set for May 19. If approved, NewU Early College Public Charter School will be able to open its doors this fall.
NewU University will graduate its inaugural class of students on June 7 at the Sylvan Theater on the grounds of the Washington Monument.
