The Ferris Youth Initiative was developed to increase higher education opportunities for young people who are low-income orphaned or who have aged out of the foster care system. A major objective of our program is to provide support that promotes success and general well-being of our participants throughout their undergraduate experience while attending Ferris. Pairing our participants with a faculty or staff mentor is one way of accomplishing this objective. Recipients of the FYI Scholarship will receive up to $4,000 per year, to be applied to any direct cost at Ferris State (tuition/fees, room/board, and/or books/supplies). The FYI program is limited to 20 students.

Program eligibility/affiliation criteria:

• Be accepted for admission to Ferris State University.
• Be 23 years old or younger by the time you start classes at FSU.
• Provide documentation to verify their orphaned status (orphans only).
• Submit Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Demonstrate unmet need, as determined by the FAFSA.
• Be enrolled and attending classes on the Big Rapids campus.
• Reside in University Housing for the first year in the FYI program

Highlights of majors, programs, departments, and activities: Ferris has the fewest number of large classes among Michigan’s 15 public universities, with only 1 percent of classes having more than 50 students. This allows for more direct contact with faculty, more hands-on learning and experimentation and greater student engagement. More than 50 percent of Ferris classes have fewer than 20 students, and the student-to-faculty ratio is 16-to-1. The University has at least 140 degrees that align directly with in-demand occupations in the categories of business, finance and management; administrative and clerical; computer science and engineering; social service; education and training; health care practitioners; health care technology and support; protective service; and construction, production and repair. With more than 180 degrees from associate to Ph.D., Ferris collaborates with industry partners to assure your education is relevant, preparing you for a rewarding professional life.

Be sure to check out this video to hear about this program directly from students!