More than a decade after the Delaware General Assembly first created the Inspire Scholarship to help students afford tuition at Delaware State University, Sen. Trey Paradee passed legislation that nearly doubled the average award to cover the full cost of in-state tuition at the only HBCU in the First State.
Delaware’s post-secondary attainment rate (41.4%) – including both degrees and credential programs – lags behind the national average (51.3%), with attainment rates for African American (29.7%) and Hispanic students (18.8%) both below the state and national average.
Since its creation in 2010, the Inspire Scholarship has helped more than 2,500 students attend Delaware State University.
More than 60% of those scholarships have gone to Black students and 65% have gone to women. Nearly half of all Inspire scholarships have been awarded to graduates of high schools in Kent County, which has both the smallest population of Delaware’s three counties and the lowest bachelor’s degree attainment rate.
Passed unanimously by the Senate and the House, Senate Bill 95 is now providing a down payment on the economic prosperity of Delaware’s workforce by helping nearly 800 students earn a debt-free college degree from Delaware State University.
