Houston Baptist University Launches New Scholarship Program with Raise.Me

High School Students, Starting as Early as 9th Grade, Can Now Earn Money from HBU for Individual Achievements such as Taking an Advanced Course or Attending a Campus Tour.

Houston Baptist University is excited to announce a new scholarship program aimed at motivating students to do better in high school and to better prepare for college. Through an online program called Raise.me, students can now earn ‘micro-scholarships’ from HBU starting in 9th grade for a wide range of individual achievements. For example, students can earn $2000 for taking a guided tour or attending a campus visit event. Students can also earn $2000 for each AP/IB course taken per year and $150 for playing a sport. The micro-scholarship platform is a partnership between the UI and Raise.me, launched with the support of Facebook and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

In addition to improving clarity and access around financial aid, the new program allows students to track specific goals they want to accomplish throughout high school, helping them become more competitive college applicants and more successful college students.

“Raise.me allows us to extend scholarship opportunities to prospective students who otherwise may have never considered HBU. Raise.me will certainly increase the opportunity for students to earn higher merit awards,” James Steen, Vice President of Enrollment Management for Houston Baptist University, said.

“You can see what colleges want and what they are looking for in an applicant. Raise.me makes all the little things come together, and it makes college seem much more affordable and way more in reach,” Student Briana stated.

Raise.me is a social enterprise focused on expanding access to higher education, especially among low-income and first-generation students. Raise.me was developed in response to the fact that most scholarships and grants today are awarded by colleges at the very end of high school – after a student has already done well or not, applied to a college or not, and been accepted or not – which is often too late to impact a student’s college ambitions or choices.

Raise.me has partnered with a diverse set of nearly 200 colleges and universities. Raise.me is free for students and also provides a free portal for high school counselors to help students track their progress.

Students and parents can learn more about Raise.me at raise.me and students can start their free Raise.me account through HBU at raise.me/signup.