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If there’s one word to describe St. Louis’ post-secondary education options, it’s robust. The metro area has more universities on one road, Big Bend Boulevard, than some entire towns do. (For the record, you pass four: St. Louis Community College–Meramec, Webster University, Fontbonne University, and Washington University in St. Louis.)
Washington University in St. Louis
And these colleges and universities have been striving to provide more access to a quality education by leveling the admissions playing field, catering to all types of learners, and providing flexible degree options.
“Before the COVID-19 pandemic, about 43 percent of students were taking classes online,” Phillip Campbell, admissions manager at St. Louis Community College–Meramec, said in August. Most universities moved entirely online in March 2020 and have been offering more hybrid and online options ever since. Online students at Southern Illinois University–Carbondale didn’t have to make much of a transition; the university already offered more than 35 degree programs online, including its online MBA program, which U.S. News & World Report ranked No. 1 in Illinois.
Other schools have used their expanded virtual platforms to reach out to the community. For instance, at Washington University in St. Louis, which is consistently ranked among the top 20 schools in the nation, a free online course about the pandemic, “The Pandemic: Science and Society,” drew more than 1,200 enrollees and featured expert speakers from across the country. It can still be viewed for free online. Learners with different abilities have options in St. Louis, too. In 2013, the University of Missouri–St. Louis created the UMSL Succeed program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The two-year program recently received a $2.1 million federal grant that will allow it to expand and offer a four-year pathway and open enrollment without an age limit. (Most similar programs in the country are closed to anyone older than age 26.) “It’s really groundbreaking,” says Jennifer Bumble, professor of special education at UMSL. “We wanted to mirror the population at UMSL. We know that it’s a commuter campus with a lot of nontraditional students. We’re making sure that we’re extending those same opportunities to people with disabilities of all ages.”
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University is making admissions more equitable by no longer requiring applicants to submit standardized test scores, starting in the 2021–2022 school year. Students may still include their test scores, but those who don’t will not be penalized. “We know that standardized tests have historically disadvantaged those students with lower family incomes and less access to expensive test preparation services,” says Kathleen Davis, vice president for enrollment and retention management at SLU. A high school student’s grade point average is a much better predictor of college success than standardized test scores anyway.
Webster University, known nationally for its Conservatory of Theatre Arts, is furthering its commitments to the region, diversity, equity, and inclusion with its new $2,500 Saint Louis Community Scholarship for underserved students residing in North St. Louis County and the city of St. Louis. “Education is a key ingredient in our efforts to bring more equity in our nation and the world,” says Webster University president Julian Z. Schuster.
“EDUCATION IS A KEY INGREDIENT IN OUR EFFORTS TO BRING MORE EQUITY IN OUR NATION AND THE WORLD.”
Last year, Washington University started a community-based scholarship program, the WashU Pledge. The school provides a free undergraduate education to all incoming full-time Missouri and southern Illinois students who are Pell Grant eligible or have a family income of $75,000 or less. In the class of 2024, the first whose members could take advantage of the pledge, 5 percent were eligible for the scholarship. Working adults catch a break at Fontbonne University, a small Catholic university with top-notch special education programs. Students who work at any of the university’s corporate partners, including Boeing, Edward Jones, St. Luke’s Hospital, and the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri, are getting 20 percent off their graduate tuition, even if they were furloughed or left the position in 2020. If college isn’t right for you, St. Louis also offers plenty of options. Missouri ranks No. 2 nationwide for new and completed apprenticeships, which offer a debt-free way to enter the workforce. Bridging the gap between student and apprentice is Ranken Technical College’s Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center, a manufacturing incubator and training center. Built in partnership with the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment and the St. Louis Development Corporation, the center will provide partner companies with low-cost products and services from students; in exchange, students gain experience, college credits, or part-time salaries. The center, which will initially employ 80 to 100 students, will be entirely student-run, from manufacturing to human resources.
There’s also STL.works, an online resource to encourage people to look into careers in healthcare, manufacturing, trades, and technology. The St. Louis Regional Business Council and St. Louis Civic Pride Foundation launched the website, which includes an apprenticeship portal. “As important as a college degree is, you don’t have to have a college degree to succeed in many of these fields,” Regional Business Council president and CEO Kathy Osborn said during the program’s launch. “We have to get the message out to schools, employers, parents, and job-seekers.”
Another major apprenticeship generator, LaunchCode, teaches software development and then provides apprenticeships by partnering with companies across the region. LaunchCode pays apprentices until they’re hired. Nearly 90 percent of apprentices receive permanent job offers. In addition to helping people start or change careers, LaunchCode is providing the region with much-needed software development talent. Recent LaunchCode graduate Tyler Holdener was featured in The New York Times, discussing his decision to take an apprenticeship instead of the traditional college route. The 20-year-old, who was already making $20 an hour, noted, “I’ve started my career, and I don’t have any debt at all.”
