NBA icon Shaquille O’Neal and Campus.edu is offering scholarships to high schoolers so they can try out college.
Via O’Neal’s Try College initiative, up to 500 high school students and recent graduates will have the opportunity to take business classes from top college professors this summer at no cost to them.
“What we’re seeing today is too many kids wondering if college is still worth it. These students either feel like they aren’t college material or believe the price tag is out of reach, and that’s a shame.” said O’Neal in a news release. “We believe everyone should have access to higher learning, and with that in mind, we’re making college classes available for free so that hundreds of students have the opportunity to show the world what they can do.”
Recent data points to fewer students matriculating to college this year and overall sentiment toward higher education has dropped due to rising tuition costs and high unemployment. This recent partnerships aims to reinvigorate students’ interest and trust in the college experience by giving them first-hand insight into those classrooms.
The first cohort of Shaq’s Try College partnership will allow 500 students to take a college course taught by college faculty that teach at top tier colleges and universities across the country. Classes include Introduction to Business Administration, taught by Todd Fitch, who also teaches at University of California, Berkeley and Principles of Microeconomics, taught by Deniz Baglan, who also teaches Howard University among others.
“We know that talent is everywhere, but too many talented students simply don’t think college is for them. We’re teaming up with Shaq to prove them wrong,” said Tade Oyerinde, Campus.edu’s founder and Chancellor in a news release. “We’re doing this to show young people that college is within reach, that college can be affordable, and that they don’t have to do this alone.”
Courses will begin in July, and applications are due by June 28. Interested students, parents, and educators are encouraged to visit Campus.edu/shaq to apply to the program.