Maricopa latest to offer free tuition and other stipends because of $7 million dollar grant from the City of Phoenix
In February 2019 Yavapai Community College announced that it had initiated a tuition free scholarship program for Yavapai County residents beginning in the fall 2019. In theory, every high school graduate seeking a two-year degree in Yavapai County could attend the Community College tuition free. The College goals driving what it labeled the Promise Scholarship Program were twofold: First, the College wanted to increase its market for college bound students. Second, it wanted to encourage students to complete and obtain a degree in a two-year period. (See Blog of February 21, 2019).
In a June 15, 2022 press release, Yavapai Community College announced that it was expanding student tuition free tuition opportunities for Yavapai residents via a new program it called “Workforce Promise.” The new program expanded free tuition to eligible students studying in many more areas than it did when it first began offering free tuition in its “Promise” program back in 2019. (See Blog of June 17, 2022). Of significance, is that beginning in the fall 2022, the Community College Workforce Promise Program will offer students, of any age, the chance to earn a degree in a variety of trades, tuition-free.
On July 28, 2022, it was learned that eligible students at Maricopa Community Colleges could receive free tuition, books, and even monthly stipends to help cover transportation and childcare costs beginning the fall, 2022. Students must be Maricopa County residents. The funds were made available by a partnership with the Colleges and the City of Phoenix, which is using $7 million of its federal rescue funds to support the new program, which is called “Route to Relief.”
The Route to Relief is meant for Maricopa County residents who lost income or jobs during the pandemic or stopped working to care for a child or sick household member. More than 100 programs across 10 Maricopa Community Colleges are eligible for funding. Eligible students can get up to $5,000 for tuition, fees and books. Training-related expenses, job search expenses and career services in programs like semiconductor, health care, business, manufacturing and information technology also are covered.
Students can also get monthly stipends during their studies of up to $1,000-$1,500 for expenses like child care and transportation.
Maricopa Community College also said it was establishing a new program called Semiconductor Technician Quick Start. It was described as a two-week Community College training experience to provide skills needed to work in semiconductor manufacturing fabrication. It was intended to meet an anticipated need from companies like Intel and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing that are opening new facilities in Phoenix, while many local and state leaders continue to promote the Phoenix area as an international hub for semiconductor manufacturing.
Central Arizona Community College in Pinal College reported in July that in the first year of its experiment with waiving tuition to Pinal County residents there was a 39% increase in students compared with the previous year, and an 88% increase in new students. For the past year, Central Arizona College in Pinal County waived tuition for any resident of the state’s third largest county. That covered classes for the fall, spring and summer terms. Courses for the upcoming school year are discounted.
Administrators at Central Arizona Community College saw free college an as experiment to reengage students and combat the trend of plummeting enrollments at many community colleges in Arizona and nationwide. Students saw it as a huge relief.