Youngstown Foundation expands Y-STAR Program, eliminating major financial barriers for YCSD students

The Youngstown Foundation has announced that through their $3 million Y-Star program, launched in 2012, Youngstown city school students will now have the opportunity to earn a full four-year scholarship to YSU.

Previously, traditional costs such as tuition, books, fees and a number of other expenses still made it difficult for many students to continue their education. As a result, Y-STAR will now cover the costs of personal computers, YSU-owned housing, meals and other expenses that have been barriers for participants of the program in the past.

In the Youngstown Foundation’s press release, it was stated that many beneficiaries of the program transferred to other universities where similar programs took care of those additional expenses, while others had to cut their college education short due to the expenses.

As a part of this agreement with the foundation and school district, YSU remains committed to building up the promotion of academic and social support services to its Y-STAR participants as a means of creating a “feeling of belonging” on campus and an effort to help retain those students wanting to continue their education at YSU.

The school district has also agreed to promote Y-STAR's latest enhancements more prominently to students and their families, with the hope that more students will enroll in Y-STAR with more visibility toward the extent of the financial support.

Students interested in learning more about the Y-STAR program are encouraged to contact YSU’s office of Financial Aid or their school’s guidance counselor.