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500 Baltimore public school students accepted in free community college program
Luke BroadwaterContact ReporterThe Baltimore Sun
More than 500 Baltimore public school students will go to community college for free in the first year of the city’s “last-dollar scholarship program.”
Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, who announced the free community college plan last year, said the program provides “clear pathways for our young people and to put them in reach of their higher aspirations.”
Since much of community college tuition is already paid for through federal grants, the city generally covers a few hundred dollars per student under the mayor’s plan. About 92 percent of community college students already receive Pell Grants, which pay for the bulk of their tuition.
Pugh’s budget this year earmarked $500,000 to help pay for free community college.
Efforts to make community college free have gained momentum across the nation, particularly as the cost of four-year colleges soars out of reach for many families. Baltimore is now one of 200 programs in 40 states in which tuition and fees for community college students are waived, particularly for recent graduates, according to the College Promise Campaign, which advocates for the expansion of such programs.
Gov. Larry Hogan this year signed a bill offering a chance for a free community college education to thousands of Marylanders. Under legislation passed in the final minutes of this year’s General Assembly session, the state would spend $15 million a year on scholarships worth as much as $5,000 to low- and middle-income students starting their community college educations.
The measure also called for allotting about $2 million over five years for grants to help cover tuition for older students who are close to finishing degrees and need financial help.
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twitter.com/lukebroadwater
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News Maryland Politics
500 Baltimore public school students accepted in free community college program
Luke BroadwaterContact ReporterThe Baltimore Sun
More than 500 Baltimore public school students will go to community college for free in the first year of the city’s “last-dollar scholarship program.”
Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, who announced the free community college plan last year, said the program provides “clear pathways for our young people and to put them in reach of their higher aspirations.”
Since much of community college tuition is already paid for through federal grants, the city generally covers a few hundred dollars per student under the mayor’s plan. About 92 percent of community college students already receive Pell Grants, which pay for the bulk of their tuition.
Pugh’s budget this year earmarked $500,000 to help pay for free community college.
Efforts to make community college free have gained momentum across the nation, particularly as the cost of four-year colleges soars out of reach for many families. Baltimore is now one of 200 programs in 40 states in which tuition and fees for community college students are waived, particularly for recent graduates, according to the College Promise Campaign, which advocates for the expansion of such programs.
Gov. Larry Hogan this year signed a bill offering a chance for a free community college education to thousands of Marylanders. Under legislation passed in the final minutes of this year’s General Assembly session, the state would spend $15 million a year on scholarships worth as much as $5,000 to low- and middle-income students starting their community college educations.
The measure also called for allotting about $2 million over five years for grants to help cover tuition for older students who are close to finishing degrees and need financial help.
[email protected]
twitter.com/lukebroadwater
Copyright © 2018, The Baltimore Sun, a Baltimore Sun Media Group publication | Place an Ad
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