Fisher College takes 20% off tuition for each online undergraduate course for Massachusetts police employees studying criminal justice, and 25% off its master’s in criminal justice for law enforcement personnel with a year on the job. Both awards are for law enforcement. The page names no current award for firefighters or EMTs.
Fisher is in Boston, and the awards sit on its page for online, graduate and professional studies. If you’re a Massachusetts officer weighing a degree around shifts, there are two different paths here, and they lead to different programs.
How To Get The Fisher College First Responder Discount
- Pick your path. For the Police and Public Safety Scholarship, you apply as a degree-seeking undergraduate in the online program studying Criminal Justice at Fisher.
- Be currently employed at a Massachusetts Police Department. The page says that’s the requirement.
- Submit a paystub dated within the last 60 days when you apply. The page says eligibility is decided at admission.
- Keep a 2.00 GPA once you have the award.
- For the master’s award, use the application link on the Detective Mario Oliveira Scholarship page.
The Police And Public Safety Scholarship
The page says students receive 20% off tuition for each undergraduate online course. It lists the award amounts for this academic year as $260.00 for a 3-credit course and $347.00 for a 4-credit course. Award amounts are set after the Add/Drop period, once your enrollment is verified, and the funds go onto your student account after attendance is confirmed.
There are three catches. Students receiving it can’t also get other Fisher College funded tuition scholarships. You have to keep a 2.00 GPA. And if your police job starts after you begin the degree, the page says to contact the Financial Aid Office. The discount then begins the term you submit your information, and the page says funding isn’t retroactive to the start of the academic year.
The Detective Mario Oliveira Scholarship
This one is for a master’s. The page lists a 25% tuition discount for the Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice program, and it says multiple scholarships are awarded annually. It names three groups: all law enforcement personnel employed for at least one year, immediate family members of fallen officers, and officers permanently injured on the job.
It applies only to new graduate program applicants with an undergraduate GPA of 2.7 or higher. The page says it can’t be combined with other Fisher College scholarships or discounts. Applications go through a link on the scholarship’s own page.
Where Fire And EMS Stand
Fisher’s Essential Worker Scholarship does name first responders in its qualifying list. But the page labels it for students who entered in an earlier period, so treat it as ended. Neither current award names firefighters, EMTs, paramedics or dispatchers. If you’re one of them, ask the Office of Financial Aid whether anything is open to you.
Q&A
Q: Is the Fisher College discount only for police?
A: The two current awards on the page are for law enforcement. The Police and Public Safety Scholarship requires employment at a Massachusetts Police Department, and the Oliveira scholarship names law enforcement personnel and officers’ families.
Q: What proof does Fisher ask for?
A: A paystub dated within the last 60 days at admission, according to the page.
Q: Does the 20% apply to every course?
A: The page says 20% off tuition for each undergraduate online course, for degree-seeking students studying Criminal Justice.
Q: Who do I ask if my situation isn’t on the page?
A: The page lists the Office of Financial Aid at [email protected] and 617-236-8821.
Q: Is there another school to compare?
A: Our Liberty University page covers another online option.
More Information:
Fisher can change its awards, so read its page again before you apply. For other money-saving options, browse our money discounts. You can also see it alongside other options in How First Responders Can Save Thousands on College Tuition: The Best Schools Offering Tuition Discounts.
