A California community college is offering free tuition and fees to 500 first-year students who apply to its First-Year Promise Plus Program. Rather than provide funding based on academic merit, College of the Canyons is doling out the funds on a first-come, first-serve basis.
“This is an incredible opportunity that increases access to higher education and changes lives,” College of the Canyons Chancellor Dianne Van Hook said. “I urge all potential first-time students to give this serious consideration – and to apply as soon as possible.”
The College of the Canyons program is funded by a state program called California College Promise, and it received nearly $900,000 for the 2018-2019 academic year. Formerly the Board of Governors Fee Waiver, the California College Promise Program claims to be “a program that waives community college tuition fees for qualified students unable to afford it.” This no longer seems to be the case, however.
California Governor Jerry Brown proposed in January 2018 to alter the program. Now, the $46 million reaped from Proposition 98 – the “Classroom Instructional Improvement and Accountability Act” – are allocated to pay for more students’ tuition and fees. The goal of the program is to “build off of the commitment that the state and community colleges have made to build the largest free tuition program in the country and the lowest tuition fees in the nation.”
Still, there are a few stipulations when Chancellor Van Hook says “all potential first-time students” should consider applying. Priority is granted to those who have an Estimated Family Contribution, or EFC, of $50,000 or less. If there are still seats available for the generous program, those who have an EFC of more than $50,000 have the opportunity to apply.
And, to the liking of California’s progressiveness, eligible applicants include undocumented immigrants under AB 540 and the California Dream Act.
In order to be accepted into the program, students must enroll in a minimum of 12 units per semester during their first academic year. Up to 15 units per semester will be paid for, along with tutoring, mentors, and other soft benefits.
The First-Year Promise Plus Program isn’t College of the Canyon’s first program offering free tuition. In February 2017, the college announced that it would offer free tuition to 300 students in its First-Year Promise Program, which was funded by a $667,000 grant from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office.
Former President Barack Obama and Gov. Jerry Brown, D-Calif., called for a conversation about college affordability, and the effects of those conversations have begun. How fiscally sustainable these sorts of programs are remains to be seen.
