Sturgis-Coldwater News

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s recent promise of a program to help adult Michiganders get a degree with free tuition at community colleges has brought confusion and frustration, as the fine print could be dashing the hopes of some potential students.

To be eligible for the Michigan Reconnect program, 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.

For those who meet the requirements, the program will cover in-district tuition, mandatory fees and contact hours, according to the program's website.

Although the Michigan Reconnect program covers in-district tuition for any otherwise eligible student, about 20% of the state’s population would have to pay the higher, out-of-district tuition rate to go to a community college, according to Bridge Michigan. 

Community colleges in Michigan gain much of their financial support through community college districts, with local property taxes going to support the colleges. Residents of the districts can then attend classes at a lower rate than students who come in from neighboring communities, with out-of-district tuition being as much double what in-district students pay.

Fifty of the state’s 83 counties have no community college district, according to Bridge Michigan. Many of those communities are rural, with significant portions of their populations living in poverty.

The news isn’t all bad, though, as out-of-district students could still have the in-district equivalent portion of their tuition covered by the program -- but for someone living in poverty, that could still be an insurmountable cost.

Alyssa Merton, a coordinator of the Local College Access Network in Oceana County, said the situation is frustrating for people living in a place with no community college district, which also tend to have high poverty rates and low educational attainment. Merton said she has already had difficult conversations with potential students who had only heard that the state would now cover tuition, without being aware of the fine print.