LANSING, Mich. – More than 40,000 Michigan residents have applied for community college tuition assistance since the program launched two weeks ago, according to officials.
Michigan is accepting applications for tuition-free assistance for adults 25 and older to earn an associate’s degree or postsecondary certificate at their local community college or a private training school. The program is called Michigan Reconnect.
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READ: Michigan offers free community college tuition to residents 25 and older -- Here’s how to apply
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she has a goal of ensuring that 60 percent of Michigan residents have a degree or post-secondary credential by 2030.
“Michigan Reconnect isn’t just smart for our state’s economy,” Susan Corbin, acting director of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, said. “It’s the right way to create pathways for Michigan workers – pathways to hope, pathways to equity and pathways to stronger families and communities.”
The state also offered up to $1.5 million in skills scholarships at private training schools. Applications opened on Feb. 2 and less than 18 hours later more than 1,700 people had applied and the program had to be closed.
“The good news is that many community colleges offer skills certificates for high-demand careers in industries such as manufacturing, construction, information technology, healthcare or business management,” Corbin said. “Michiganders interested in a professional trades career can still take advantage of Michigan Reconnect by pursuing credentials through their community college.”
What is Michigan Reconnect? Who qualifies?
Michigan will help pay for adults 25 and older to earn an associate’s degree or postsecondary certificate at their local community college.
If students attend college in the district where they live then tuition is free. If they attend a college in a district where they don’t live, Reconnect pays the in-district part of the situation and the student has to pay the remaining balance.
To be eligible you have to be at least 25 years old, have lived in Michigan for a year or more, have a high school diploma and have not yet completed a college degree.