Story by Brent Baum, KLN ’12
Illustrations by Justine Kelley, TYL ’17, ’21

For Edmond Tsan, attending Temple University was always his first choice. Growing up in Northeast Philadelphia, he wanted to attend college near home. However, being able to afford a college education was a big concern for him.

“My family does not come from wealth, so having enough money to afford college was always a constant worry for us,” says Tsan.

But Tsan didn’t let financial constraints deter him from his goal, and he continued to focus on his studies, taking AP classes in history, calculus and physics as a student at William W. Bodine High School, located in the city’s Frankford neighborhood. And, in the summer between his junior and senior years of high school, he participated in the six-week Temple + Heights STEM Research Program on Main Campus.

When Tsan filled out his application for Temple, he hoped to get some financial assistance from the state government. As it turned out, he was able to get most of his tuition covered through the university’s trailblazing Temple Promise program—a last-dollar financial aid initiative designed to make a world-class education more accessible and affordable for Philadelphia students. Launched in the fall of 2024, Temple Promise supports first-year, full-time students living in Philadelphia County with a family adjusted gross income of $65,000 or less who have earned admission to the university.

“When I received the email from Temple, I was really surprised by the amount of money I could potentially receive from Temple Promise,” says Tsan. “I did qualify for it, and with that added onto my financial package, it greatly helped me because it covered the rest of my tuition. And for a family on a tight budget, that was huge for us.”

Tsan is now in his second year at Temple, majoring in engineering technology and enrolled in Temple’s Honors Program. As a self-described “hands-on” type of person, he’s been able to join Temple’s student chapter of Engineers Without Borders, an international organization that empowers communities and equips leaders to solve the world’s most pressing challenges through engineering projects.

“My financial aid package has helped me focus on my education and have the time to pursue extracurricular activities at Temple without constantly worrying about my finances, which is also a huge relief for my parents,” he adds.

Music major Tayla Howell likewise credits her advisor with offering guidance during her first year as an Owl. “Cooper [Creal] has been such a wonderful help with my schedule and explaining college to me,” says Howell, a Philadelphia High School for Girls alum. “He’s been a lifesaver, helping me avoid so many mishaps that might have occurred.”

Like Tsan, Muhammad and Howell are among the nearly 500 members of the Class of 2028 benefiting from the Temple Promise program.

“Access and opportunity to a high-quality education are the hallmark of this institution,” explains David Boardman, interim provost of Temple University and dean of the Klein College of Media and Communication. “Temple Promise demonstrates our continued commitment to the never-ending pursuit of that mission, especially as it relates to students who call Philly home.”

Temple is Philadelphia’s public research university. Philadelphia students comprise 24.8% of the university’s Class of 2029 at 1,335. Programs like Temple Promise underscore the university’s commitment to the city and to helping remove educational barriers and expanding opportunities for aspiring young college students eager to begin their Temple education.

“By removing financial barriers, we are not only expanding opportunity but also empowering the next generation of economic drivers, productive citizens and leaders who will make a lasting impact in their communities and beyond,” Boardman adds.

The Temple Future Scholars program will initially support the following seven middle schools: Mary McLeod Bethune School, Morton McMichael School, Paul L. Dunbar School, Russell H. Conwell School, Tanner G. Duckrey School, John F. Hartranft School and Juniata Park Academy. In a few years, the program aims to enroll 1,200 students from the School District of Philadelphia in grades seven through 12 as Temple Future Scholars at any given time.

“Through this program, we will ensure that young people in the city of Philadelphia are thinking about their futures and visualizing themselves in college as early as seventh grade,” Harrison says. “It will not happen overnight, but before long, we will be fostering long-term academic engagement and seeing more and more local students succeed here at Temple.”

Access to resources

Programs like Temple Promise and Temple Future Scholars have been built on the foundational success laid by the Cecil B. Moore Scholars Program.

Since 2021, the Cecil B. Moore Scholars Program has provided selected students from Philadelphia public schools (district or charter) who live in Temple’s neighboring ZIP codes with a full-tuition, four-year scholarship.

“The Cecil B. Moore Scholars Program is an opportunity for Temple to invest in students right here in our backyard of North Philadelphia,” says Harrison. “It’s part of the bigger picture of Temple’s community connections.”

Named for the late civil rights leader, the program is part of Temple’s mission to provide students from all walks of life with the opportunity to participate in a world-class four-year college education. Of the program’s first cohort of 22 students, 16 accepted their diplomas in May 2025, and three have extended their graduation timelines.

“Moving from home to home in North Philadelphia, my childhood was rough,” explains Cory Matthews, a member of the Cecil B. Moore Scholars Program’s inaugural class and a 2025 graduate of Temple’s Klein College of Media and Communication. “Most people in my shoes never get an opportunity to attend college.”

Raised in a single-parent, low-income household at 10th and Jefferson after the death of his biological mother when he was 3, Matthews, who had his eyes set on business school, focused on his studies and founded a sneaker cleaning business as a senior in high school.

“Growing up in my neighborhood, you carry a different kind of pressure on your shoulders where you never thought having the opportunity to attend college was even possible,” Matthews says.

At Temple, Matthews thrived, graduating with a bachelor of arts in advertising with a focus on brand strategy and research.

“To be the first in my family to graduate from college is a privilege,” says Matthews. “Being able to attend college, let alone say I graduated from college, is a big deal for kids where I am from.”

The Cecil B. Moore Scholars kick off their college experience by attending a six-week, two-credit summer bridge program, which serves as an introduction to life at Temple and the opportunities and resources available on Main Campus. And the students continue to receive support throughout their time at Temple.

“As important as it is to Temple’s mission to provide students from all backgrounds with the opportunity to participate in a world-class four-year college education, it is equally important to support those students once they arrive on campus,” says Boardman. “And that’s what makes the Cecil B. Moore Scholars Program so unique: Students who qualify for that program receive support from the day they enroll through their graduation, and we are seeing how that can be a difference-maker when it comes to ensuring these students stay on the path toward success.”

Scholars in the program enjoy individualized access to the services offered at Temple through Terrence Seales, the program’s director. Seales monitors each student’s academic progress and guides them through the cornucopia of resources at Temple that ensure student success. From connecting students to tutoring services to providing one-on-one check-ins and time management workshops, he helps in whichever way is needed.

“Throughout their college journey, I do my best to be accessible and hold them accountable, which I believe helps make a difference in their ability to achieve their goals, earn a college degree and apply the skills they learned in the workforce after Temple,” says Seales.

A biology major, Nguyen excelled in Temple’s Honors Program and took advantage of everything Temple had to offer. She became a student worker at Temple’s Health Sciences Center campus, and by her senior year, she landed an internship as a lab technician at the University of Pennsylvania’s Ryan Veterinary Hospital. With Seales’ guidance, she also pursued a minor in management information systems.

Last May, she accepted her diploma. “I didn’t really think too much about college being a part of my future until the Cecil B. Moore Scholars Program,” says Nguyen. “Now I have a degree that I wouldn’t have without the program.”

Commitment in action

In a testament to the university’s ongoing commitment to student success and access, Temple recently earned the highest rating in the newly released 2025 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The designation places Temple among just 479 institutions nationally in the Opportunity College or University category—these institutions serve as national models for how universities can best promote pathways to opportunity and economic mobility.

When paired with its prestigious R1 research rating—the highest Carnegie Classification for research universities—Temple is now one of just 21 universities nationwide to earn dual recognition in top designations from Carnegie.

The university’s commitment to student success is also reflected in recent U.S. News and World Report rankings, with Temple appearing among the top 50 public universities for the last three years. The ranking resulted from a revised methodology by U.S. News giving greater weight to graduation rates, graduation rate performance and social mobility factors, which have always been a focus for Temple.

And Temple students are seeing this commitment in action ... in real time.

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