The Michigan Reconnect program is intended to assist adults who want to attend community college but can't afford the tuition. | stock photo
The Michigan Reconnect program is intended to assist adults who want to attend community college but can't afford the tuition. | stock photo
Michigan Reconnect, a new program recently launched by the state of Michigan, is intended to help those without college degrees attain them at local community colleges.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has promised "free tuition," even though approximately 20% of those eligible for the program still won’t be able to attend community college tuition-free.
In 50 of the state’s 83 counties, residents don’t qualify for all of the benefits offered under the program, according to Bridge Michigan. However, many of the people who lives in those counties are among the ones in greatest need of the assistance.
The primary eligibility requirements for the program include: applicants must be 25 or older, have lived in the state for at least a year, have a high school diploma or equivalent, and not have completed any previous associate’s or bachelor’s degree, according to Michigan.gov.
Additionally, the Michigan Reconnect website states that, when those in the program are billed by their community college each semester, costs including in-district tuition, mandatory fees and additional charges for certain courses and programs will be free to the students who qualify.
But it’s that “in-district tuition” portion that creates a problem for approximately one out of every five Michigan residents who would otherwise be eligible for the benefits, according to Bridge Michigan. The "districts" referred to are "community college districts," and 20% of Michiganders live in counties without one, meaning they can't attend an "in-district" community college.
Those individuals will still be able to get assistance, possibly receiving help with about half of their tuition bill, but they won’t be able to go to college for free, says Bridge Michigan. And for low-income Michigan residents, that just may not be enough.
Alyssa Merton, a coordinator of the Local College Access Network in Oceana County, expressed her frustration for people who live in areas of Michigan that lack a community college but have a population with high poverty rates and low education attainment.
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