Many students drop out or shut down the idea of college due to the large tuition fees and debt. The Mitten state has made it their plan to change this though. With the new 2025 Fiscal Year budget, Governor Whitmer has made it her goal to ensure more students get a college degree.
With this came the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, designed to help bring students to college and help them achieve their goals and dreams. Students from the class of 2023 and beyond could be eligible for free community college and an additional $1000 if they are Pell-Eligible from applying through FAFSA.
This is the eligibility criteria through MI Student Aid:
- Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
- Be a Michigan resident since July 1 of the previous calendar year
- Be a U.S citizen, permanent resident, or an approved refugee
- Graduated from a Michigan high school
- Enrolled in college: you must be
- An undergraduate student
- Class of 2023 must have been enrolled by fall of 2024
- Class of 2024 must enroll by fall of 2025
Other requirements for being eligible include living in one of Michigan’s 28 community college districts. This means that 20% of Michiganders who live outside of this district may not be able to qualify for free community college. This means students in Ottawa, Livingston, and Lenawee, which have a combined 90,500 students where there aren’t any community colleges that have those districts more than likely won’t have free school but they could still have discounts.
Michigan is one of 31 states that allow for discounting or full-on eliminating the costs of community college for students. States like Arkansas, Maine, California, and more all have programs similar to the Michigan Achievement Scholarship. Michigan being the latest one shows that states are still on track to make college more affordable for students across the United States.
Students from Woodhaven also have their own opinions on this such as Eric Kelly, a senior at Woodhaven High School, who said “I believe that it’s a good thing and that it helps more kids across the state.” Another Student Isaac Michaelis, another senior at Woodhaven High School, said similarly to Eric “It’s a great idea” and believes that it’s a great help for Students all across the state of Michigan.
