On Sept. 2, 2021, FGCU announced it would be suspending its “Soar in 4” program. The program, launched in 2016, incentivized students to graduate in four years by reimbursing their first-year tuition. The program additionally required students to get a full-time job in Florida, earning $25,000 a year.

Now, the last class eligible for the program is graduating. 

Along with graduating in four years, students had to declare a major in their first year, meet with Career Development Services, attend a Career Development Services Recruitment Event and complete an internship during their college career. 

“FGCU was, and is, the only institution in the State University System of Florida to offer this reward,” former FGCU President Mike Martin said in a statement on the Soar in 4 website. 

The program was seen as a win-win for both FGCU and students alike. FGCU benefited since four-year graduation rates are a major metric for determining how much state funding colleges get and students benefited by having their tuition reimbursed. 

The program showed to be a huge draw for incoming students and was marketed to students as a way to make college more affordable. 

Even though the program has been suspended, the decision may have been for a rather promising reason. 

“Since 2016, the four-year graduation rate has risen from 22% to more than 42%. While this is wonderful news, the university has had to rely on non-state and private funding sources to cover the cost of the program… a formal, long-term plan to finance it was never established,” Rubi Olvera, an FGCU spokesperson said. “The growing costs of the Soar in 4 program impacts the funding of other programs on campus.”

FGCU’s students are suffering from success. 

“If you’re saying it has been working and that’s a great thing, however, it’s almost like it’s working too well,” student Logan Izzo said. 

From 2016 to 2024, 1,103 students received funding from the Soar in 4 program. According to the FGCU webpage, the yearly cost of in-state tuition for FGCU students is $6,118, meaning FGCU spent at least $6,748,154 on the program. This number also assumes no out-of-state students received money from the program, so the true amount is likely higher. 

Many students are sympathetic to FGCU canceling the program.

“That makes sense, I feel like that’s a decent explanation for canceling something,” student Caiden Schiller said.

However, not all hope is lost for the program according to Olvera. 

“The Soar in 4 program is suspended, not ended. FGCU is reimagining its Soar in 4 graduation program to provide students with guidance to achieve a timely completion of specific milestones throughout their academic journey,” Olvera said.

While there are no current plans to bring back Soar in 4 as it was before, many students are optimistic for its return.

“Hopefully if FGCU becomes big enough, they can reinstate it in some sort of capacity,” Izzo said.

Students can schedule an appointment with the Soar in 4 team if they have any questions about their eligibility.