A new scholarship available to incoming freshmen aims to make the task of paying for a college education easier.

Kent State acknowledges the difficult economic times students and their family face when trying to pay for tuition. The Scholarship Matching Program is designed to match incoming students’ local scholarship funds up to $1,000.

“Kent State is committed to remaining one of Ohio’s most accessible and affordable public universities,” President Lester A. Lefton said in a press release. “Though we do not know the outlook for higher education until the state budget is submitted next month, we are taking all efforts to minimize the financial burden on students. This new Scholarship Match Program is one way Kent State is being proactive in anticipation of lower state funding and during a time of increasing need for more college-educated Ohioans.”

T. David Garcia, associate vice president of enrollment management and student affairs said the scholarship is available to incoming freshmen to the Kent campus, who are Ohio residents, completed and sent the results of the FASFA form to Kent and eligible for the Pell grant.

Garcia said Kent State will continue to be active in its efforts to make a college education affordable.

“Kent State will continue to look for ways to bridge the gap between student financial aid and cost to attend Kent,” Garcia said.