FREE COMMUNITY COLLEGE EXTENDED FOR TWO MORE YEARS
Governor Mills signs budget funding Free College Scholarships for High School Classes of 2024-25
AUGUSTA, ME 鈥揟uition-free community college in Maine was extended to two more graduating high school classes under the budget passed by the legislature and signed today by Governor Janet Mills.
The $15 million investment will allow students graduating from high school or its equivalent in 2024 and 2025 to attend any Maine community college without paying any tuition or mandatory fees 鈥� a value of more than $3,800 a year.
鈥淓xtending Free College to the Classes of 2024 and 2025 tells today鈥檚 high school students that the State of Maine believes in them and is willing to invest in them and their future,鈥� said Maine Community College System (MCCS) President David Daigler.
鈥淭he scholarship means they won鈥檛 have to work multiple jobs while they study or take just one or two classes at a time because they can鈥檛 afford more. They鈥檒l have time to focus on learning a trade or becoming a nurse or a police officer or a chef, or pursuing any of the hundreds of degrees or one-year certificates we offer. And they鈥檒l graduate as the kind of skilled workers Maine desperately needs right now and for years into the future. It鈥檚 a bold move that benefits workers, employers, and the entire state of Maine,鈥� Daigler said.
Following a proposal from Governor Mills, Maine launched the Free Community College program in April 2022 with a one-time state investment of $20 million, benefiting the pandemic-era high school graduates from 2020-2023. In the first year, 6,400 students attended community college tuition-free.
Earlier this year, some students told lawmakers what a difference the program made for them. Maya Eichorn, now a top student at York County Community College, said she wasn鈥檛 even considering college.
鈥淥ne year ago 鈥� I was dropping out (of high school) to take the HiSET exam,鈥� she said. 鈥淭oday, I am a full-time college student with a 4.0. Without the Maine Free College program, I would be aimlessly moving through life.鈥�
Tuition-free education at Maine鈥檚 community colleges is also available to current high school students through , an early college program, and for anyone enrolled in most short-term workforce training programs. More information about the Free College Scholarship is available here.