NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Yesterday, July 26, the University of New Orleans announced that prospective students from metropolitan New Orleans high schools will no longer have to pay a fee to apply to the university for admission. The change in policy affects applicants who reside in the eight parish metro area: Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist and St. Tammany parishes.
“The University of New Orleans is credited with having built the middle class in New Orleans,” said John Nicklow, university president. “We want to be the first-choice university for as many of our local students as possible. We realize that applying to college can be expensive for students and their families. We hope this will, in some small way, ease the burden of the college search, allowing students to focus more on the potential experiences and opportunities they’ll have at the University.”
In it's statement release, the University of New Orleans states that it is the only public research university in metro New Orleans. A 2016 study found, the statement continues, that the university had an annual economic impact of $470 million on the region. The school also determined that there are more than 42,000 UNO alumni living in the eight-parish metro area.
“In order for the university to fulfill its mission, we must provide educational access to our local students and ensure that they are well-prepared to secure high quality jobs after they graduate,” Nicklow said. “If waiving this fee encourages even a few students to apply to the University who otherwise would not have taken this important step, it will be worth it.”
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