(Hermitage, PA) Among 18-year-old Taylor Keener’s friends from high school is one who chose to attend a private four-year institution in eastern Ohio whose tuition and fees cost $17,500 per semester.
“She had to take out a loan or two, and she wasn’t very happy about that,” Keener said. “I try not to rub it in her face or anything, but I knew I wasn’t going to be taking out a loan.”
Keener, an 18-year-old graduate of Jamestown Area Junior-Senior High School, selected BC3 @ LindenPointe, whose affordability combined with financial aid has enabled her to attend without seeking a student loan.
“Definitely in the top decisions I have made,” said Keener, a first-semester general studies student. “I don’t know where I would be if I didn’t choose BC3 @ LindenPointe.”
Prospective students can learn about BC3 @ LindenPointe’s affordability, financial aid and scholarship opportunities, its associate degrees in career and transfer programs, and about its support services during an open house Nov. 15.
The open house will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at 3182 Innovation Way, Hermitage.
BC3 @ LindenPointe will waive its $25 application fee for prospective students who apply for admission at the open house. Prospective students can RSVP to attend the open house at BC3.edu/open-house
“The classes at BC3 @ LindenPointe are small, and the professors are very knowledgeable. They make sure you know the subject matter before they move on. … They want us to succeed.”
Keener played softball for two years, and girls basketball and volleyball for four at Jamestown High. She intends to work in sports medicine, and said her education has benefited from BC3 @ LindenPointe classes that average 12 students and from BC3’s free tutoring.
“My classes at Jamestown were pretty small, and I like that,” Keener said. “I like having the smaller group. The classes at BC3 @ LindenPointe are small, and the professors are very knowledgeable.
“They make sure you know the subject matter before they move on. They want the students to understand the information. They are helping me. They are helping my fellow classmates. They want us to succeed.”
BC3 offers one hour of free tutoring per course per week for students enrolled in credit courses.
An average of 250 students study with BC3 tutors each semester, said Heather Jewart, the college’s coordinator of tutoring.
Keener sought a tutor for her human anatomy and physiology I course, in which students investigate cells, tissues, organs and organ systems of the human body.
“The tutoring has been great,” Keener said. “At first I was struggling a little bit, and they helped me. And they are still there if I have any extra questions.”
“... I knew if I went to BC3 I would not have to take out a loan. That makes me feel ecstatic. It’s just less stress and less pressure on me.”
The average student-loan debt per borrower in Pennsylvania is $38,521, according to a June 14 report by LendEDU, a website that provides comparisons for loans, credit cards and other financial products.
BC3’s affordability, and financial aid and scholarships, allowed 75 percent of its Class of 2023 to graduate debt-free.
Mercer County residents attending BC3 this fall are paying $290 per credit in tuition and fees for an in-person course. They would pay at least $437.23 per credit in tuition and fees at a regional public four-year university this fall.
Mercer County residents attending BC3 this fall are paying $315 per credit in tuition and fees for an online course. They would pay at least $374.20 per credit in tuition and fees for an online course at a regional public four-year university this fall.
“Very affordable,” Keener said. “… I knew if I went to BC3 I would not have to take out a loan. That makes me feel ecstatic. It’s just less stress and less pressure on me.”
Named scholarships at record number
The BC3 Education Foundation in 2023-2024 had a record 155 named scholarships available to BC3 students.
Students enrolled in a BC3 associate degree, certificate or workplace certificate program and who meet scholarship criteria are eligible to receive a financial award, according to Bobbi Jo Cornetti, development coordinator of the BC3 Education Foundation.
Students attending any of the college’s six locations, enrolled in online courses or in BC3’s new virtual programs can apply for a 2024-2025 financial award by completing an online application between April 15 and July 1, Cornetti said.
BC3 students approved for federal and state grants will receive an average of $5,046 in the 2023-2024 academic year, according to Juli Louttit, the college’s director of financial aid.
BC3’s credits can be applied toward a bachelor’s degree at public, private and online four-year colleges and universities.
Prospective students visiting BC3 @ LindenPointe’s open house can also learn about BC3 having been ranked as the No. 1 community college in Pennsylvania nine times since 2015, most recently by BestColleges.com; and about BC3’s new virtual associate degree, certificate and workplace certificate programs that are instructed by BC3 faculty.
