The city of Detroit has announced a program that will pay for community college for its residents.
The Detroit Promise Zone program, which launched on Tuesday, will make it so graduating high school seniors who are accepted into one of Detroit’s five community colleges will not have to pay any tuition.
The eventual goal is to have the program pay for the full four years of college tuition at any state school for all eligible Detroit students.
In order to meet eligibility requirements, a student must have completed their junior and senior years at either a public, private, or charter school within Detroit.
Although eligibility is not based upon income, students must fill out a FAFSA. The program will pay the remainder of the cost of community college after all financial aid— federal and state grants, scholarships, etc.— have been used.
The program will initially be funded through a private scholarship foundation. By 2018, much of the money is expected to come from property tax revenue earmarked for the program.
About 500 students are expected to take advantage of the program each year, and the expected cost per student per year to the city is $680.
Right now, there is a similar privately-funded program in place called the Detroit Scholarship program that has given 2,000 students a free ride over the past three years. The current program is expected to transition into the new one.
In order to be eligible for the Detroit Scholarship program, high school seniors must register by June 30.
