Ball State University freshman wins free tuition after scoring half-court basketball shot

Higher education in the US has been a hot topic recently after student debt doubled over the past two decades to $1.2trillion

(Ball State University/YouTube)

One student will definitely be able to sleep better during the start of his university experience after he won free tuition for an entire semester – by scoring a half-court shot at a basketball game.

Lem Turner, a freshman at Ball State University in Indiana, was chosen at random from the crowd during the university’s welcome week celebrations to make the shot for the chance to win the $11,000 (£6,964) prize.

After taking to the court, the student, originally from Illinois, dribbled the ball a few times before leaning forward to make the jaw-dropping shot, after which the stadium reacted in the best possible way:

The student, however, has had a history of playing basketball at high school, but it is unknown whether he will be continuing on with the sport while at university.

This is the second time in three years a student has made a half-court shot at the beginning of the university term.

Higher education in the US has been a hot topic recently as costs and student underperformance has been soaring. In line with this, student debt in the country has doubled over the past two decades to a staggering $1.2trillion.

Presidential hopeful, Hillary Clinton, has placed the future of education at the top of her agenda and said no student should have to get themselves into debt to make their way through university.

To make further education more affordable in the country, Mrs Clinton has outlined a ten-year long plan, worth $350 billion, which, she said, will be “fully paid for by limiting certain tax expenditures for high-income taxpayers.”