CLEVELAND — Cleveland State University announced the Cleveland State Commitment, promising qualifying Ohio students $0 tuition.
The Cleveland State Commitment covers tuition for incoming freshmen with a 3.0 GPA or higher whose families earn $125,000 or less a year, according to our CBS News Affiliate, WOIO.
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Incoming freshman Joe Hayes said the program makes attending his first-choice school possible.
They have a great film program, and that is what I’m interested in doing, so to hear that my tuition is going to be covered is unbelievable,” Hayes said.
Hayes said he already committed to Cleveland State University before the offer was announced.
His mother, Erin Hayes, said she received the call about his eligibility first.
“I didn’t think it was real. I literally Googled the name of the person that called me, I looked up Megan to make sure she was a real person from the university,” she said.
Erin Hayes said she took out student loans without getting financial aid, and it took her 15 years to pay them off.
She said she didn’t want the same burden for her son.
“So this is life changing, absolutely life changing,” Erin Hayes said.
Cleveland State University President Dr. Laura Bloomberg said the program is funded through existing university dollars and philanthropic endowments, not from current financial aid budgets.
“This is our opportunity to make that dream within reach for so many more Ohio students,” Bloomberg said.
Eligibility is confirmed through FAFSA. The deadline to qualify this year is Feb. 15, 2027
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