Emory University to offer free tuition to some students from Puerto Rico

Emory University students walk to and from class. AJC FILE PHOTO

Credit: John Spink

Credit: John Spink

Emory University students walk to and from class. AJC FILE PHOTO

Emory University announced Friday it will allow nearly three dozen eligible students who’ve had their studies interrupted by last summer’s hurricane damage to Puerto Rico to study here for free next semester.

The 32 students will also receive application fee waivers and expedited processing. Those accepted will be able to enroll in credit-bearing courses for spring 2018, enabling them to continue their progress toward a bachelor’s degree. The deadline to apply is Dec. 10.

“We are compelled to step up and offer an academic home to students as they continue their studies in our supportive and diverse community,” Dwight A. McBride, Emory provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, said in a statement.

Undergraduate students from an accredited college or university in Puerto Rico can apply. The 32 slots are the maximum amount of space that Emory's housing office can accommodate for the spring semester, officials said. Displaced students from Puerto Rico should contact Emory admission advisor  Chelsey Garcia at chelsey.garcia@emory.edu for more information.

More than half of the island’s 1.5 million electical customers are without power, more than two months after Hurricanes Irma and Maria struck, Puerto Rico government officials said.

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