Detroit Students Get Community College Guarantee

Mayor Duggan Announces permanent funding for scholarships to the city’s high school graduates

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced Tuesday that the city will pay for two years of community college for high school graduates.

Scholarships are guaranteed for Detroit residents who graduate from public, charter or private high schools in the city.

Private organizations will support the initiative for two years before property taxes can be added to its funding sources. Sandy Baruah is the president of the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce. The organization is partnering with the Michigan Education Excellence Foundation to fund scholarships until 2018. Baruah says this initiative will help the city grow.

“Think of any house that has a for sale sign in front of it in the City of Detroit,” Baruah says. “And think of a sign right next to that for sale sign that says this house comes with two years of college guaranteed for your child.”

Students must complete the application process and be admitted to a participating community college by June 30th to be eligible for scholarships in the fall. 

Author

  • Sascha Raiyn
    Sascha Raiyn is Education Reporter at 101.9 WDET. She is a native Detroiter who grew up listening to news and music programming on Detroit Public Radio.