FIU is making a promise to the 2017 freshman class: if your family cannot help you pay for college, FIU will. Call it a Golden Promise.

FIU’s Golden Promise guarantees 2017 freshmen that their tuition will be covered if they are Florida residents and have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of zero on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

“FIU’s Golden Promise removes economic barriers for students who are academically qualified and ready to work hard at FIU. We want them to be successful and graduate in four years,” said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg.

Golden Promise covers gaps in financial aid so that students can take 30 credit hours a year and earn a bachelor’s degree in four years. FIU awards priority financial aid to those who submit the FAFSA by March 1.

The Office of Financial Aid estimates that approximately 1,200 freshmen will be the beneficiaries of the Golden Promise in 2017. These students typically come from families that earn less than $33,000 a year.

“Many of our students cannot afford to take classes in the summer, which is crucial to timely graduation,” said Vice President for Enrollment Management Luisa Havens. “We are going to find the scholarship money so that these hard-working students can graduate as soon as possible, be debt-free and go to work.”

With the Golden Promise scholarship, FIU joins a growing number of universities around the nation that have pledged guaranteed financial support to students who come from families with insufficient means to help the student get through college in four years.