Waterford Today

The new Michigan Reconnect program will provide free community college for many Michiganders, but unfortunately not all will qualify.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s new $30 million program is set to provide free tuition and fees for Michigan community colleges and professional training centers. The program will be available for residents over the age of 25 who don't already have an associate's or bachelor's degree. However, approximately one in five residents who otherwise meet the program criteria won't be able to fully benefit from the program due to where they live. 

Residents over 25 can enroll in the program, but only to attend community colleges within their own community college districts to receive full tuition abatement. However, only about 80% of Michiganders live in a district with a community college. The 20% of residents outside of eligible districts can still enroll in community colleges outside of their district, but at around half price -- not for free.

This provides a unique issue to various communities across the state, many of which are in rural locations and have lower incomes, making even half-price tuition still cost-prohibitive.

Oceana County Local College Access Network coordinator Alyssa Merton is navigating this accessibility gap for her county’s residents. “We’re grateful for this program, but it’s frustrating because we can’t market Reconnect... the same way as they can in other parts of the state because it doesn’t provide the same benefits," Merton said, according to Bridge Michigan.

One example of this complex situation can be observed with Lansing Community College (LCC). In Michigan, community colleges receive a significant amount of their funding from local property taxes, and they offer lower tuition for students who pay these taxes. At LCC, in-district students pay $111 per credit hour, and out-of-district students pay twice that amount, at $222 per credit hour. These out-of-district students, while they will receive the $111 reduction like their in-district counterparts, they would still have half of their tuition to pay, even with program support. At LCC, approximately 40% of their students are from out of districts. 

Merton acknowledges that Michigan Reconnect is a step forward in helping Michiganders who seek college degrees, but it's still not enough. “There may be fewer people enrolled from Oceana and other rural counties... but they don’t like it,” she told Bridge Michigan.