CMS seniors got fewer scholarships in 2021, college plans shift for many
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools class of 2021 amassed $122.4 million in scholarships, which is a decline compared to the previous two graduating classes.
Last year, the total was $153.8 million in scholarships, while the 2019 graduating class was offered $147.7 million.
The group of incoming college freshmen earned 2,548 scholarships in 2021, according to CMS. The graduating class a year ago received 3,380 scholarships, while the class of 2019 received 3,424.
Providence High had the highest dollar amount in 2021 with $13.2 million, and the largest number of scholarships offered with 242.
“We are very excited for our students,” Providence High Principal Tracey Harrill told the Observer Monday. “It’s always great when you see the students achieve after they’ve worked so hard. And while they may not appreciate the money they got for college, you know their parents do.”
The decline in scholarship money from last year can be attributed to fewer students going directly to four-year colleges, Harrill said.
“We have more students going to community college first, before a four-year college than we’ve ever had,” she said “It’s like 11% that are going to community college before they go to four-year college. It’s cheaper that way.”
The uncertainty of the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic is also something Harrill said is stopping students from going to four-year colleges next year. She said some students may need to take a gap year and work so they can pay to further their education.
Undergraduate enrollment in fall 2020 declined by 3.6% from the fall of 2019, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse.
Of the 2021 total, $103.8 million represented academic scholarships, while athletic scholarships totaled $18.6 million, CMS said. Vance High received the most athletic scholarship money with $10,749,694.
