Select Page

Why Give?

It is encouraging to know that people still believe in helping others. In today’s world, there are so many wonderful causes that deserve our attention and support, so why do we believe that you should give to Alice Lloyd College? It’s simple: by supporting us, you will be supporting over 600 talented mountain students whose success will greatly contribute to the betterment of all of Appalachia and beyond. Our founder, Alice Geddes Lloyd, believed that the answers to the region’s challenges were already here, within the minds of its young people. So, today, we continue to provide our students an affordable, high-quality academic program, emphasizing the liberal arts, that prepares them to be leaders with high moral and ethical values, an attitude of self-reliance, and a sense of service to others. Now, as the region faces increasing hardships due to the nation’s severe economic recession, the mission of Alice Lloyd College is more important than ever.

Alice Lloyd College offers its students a unique opportunity: through the Appalachian Leaders College Scholarship, all students from our 108-county service area do not pay any out-of-pocket costs for tuition. The majority of our students come from low-income families, and, if not for the financial assistance provided by Alice Lloyd, it is entirely likely that many of them would have to miss out on obtaining a college education. For these students, a gift to Alice Lloyd is not a hand-out; it is a helping hand. Your gift will give them the chance to make their dreams reality.

All of our full-time students are required to work in our Student Work Program. Our work program helps finance their educational expenses while at the same time promoting a sense of dignity and self-help. Requiring students to work is truly a distinctive feature of Alice Lloyd College, and so committed is the College to the concept of student labor that successful completion of the work requirement is a graduation requirement. What’s more, 95% of our students are either in graduate school or employed within six months of graduation.

To our knowledge, Alice Lloyd is the only school not only to provide its students with a bachelor’s degree, but to also financially assist many of its graduates as they pursue advanced degrees. Eighty-three percent of our graduates return to lead and serve in the region and most have no debt.

When you give to Alice Lloyd College, you are helping to change thousands of lives and the future of an entire region. Nearly 90% of every operating dollar we raise goes to support our students. Your gift is a vote of confidence in Appalachia’s young people to be the catalysts for positive change.

The Challenge We Face

Gifts to Alice Lloyd College, no matter the amount, go directly towards helping our Appalachian students. These funds provide our students better facilities, classroom materials, state-of-the-art technical equipment, various educational and cultural programs, and, most significantly, scholarships that help cover the full cost of tuition, academic scholarships, and the Caney Cottage Scholarships, which assist our graduates financially in graduate or professional school. Perhaps no other college in America invests so much in its students.


By policy, Alice Lloyd does not solicit or receive direct financial support from local, state, or federal governments. Also by policy, we have no debt. The College relies heavily upon the American free enterprise system for its existence. Without the generosity of our friends and donors, we would not be able to fulfill our great and important mission in Appalachia. Without Alice Lloyd College, so many of these gifted and talented mountain students would not receive the power and promise of a high-quality education simply because they wouldn’t be able to afford it.

Seventy-four percent of all Central Appalachian counties classified as economically distressed in the Appalachian Regional Commission‘s 2013 report are within our 108-county service area. Many factors contribute to the distressed economy in our region. The coal industry has historically provided the main source of employment, but has been cyclical in nature. In recent years, thousands of jobs have been lost due to the closings of numerous coal mines. Also, the rugged mountain terrain makes travel difficult and hinders outside businesses and industries from locating in our region.

The average per capita income in Appalachian Kentucky in 2007 was $15,690 compared to the national average of $32,930. Among our incoming freshmen for 2013-14, 59% reported annual family incomes of $22,350 or less, and 25% reported incomes below $3,000. Seventy-six percent of our students qualify for need-based aid, with as much as 30% of those students coming from families living at the poverty level. Our state ranks 50th in the nation among those whose adults age 26 and over have attained a high school education. Since 2008, 56% of our graduates indicated that they were the first in their families to receive a bachelor’s degree from college.

Alice Lloyd has been and will continue to be a great light of hope in the mountains.

Alice Lloyd College is located in the heart of eastern Kentucky and is perfectly positioned to make a difference in our region. We are the only four-year liberal arts college in the nation actively recruiting students exclusively from Appalachia. Each student from our service area is awarded a scholarship that covers the cost of tuition for up to 10 semesters. In 2013 68% of our graduates had no debt upon graduating from Alice Lloyd College. We have never turned away a qualifying student because of an inability to pay. The only way we can continue to offer this amazing opportunity to Appalachian students is with the help and support of people like you — people who still believe, like us, that extraordinary things can happen in the lives of these mountain young people if they are only given a chance.

Give Now!

Questions? Please contact:

Allison Southard, Director of Development
Phone: (606) 368-6039
E-mail: allisonsouthard@alc.edu