The San Diego Promise program has grown from 186 students in 2016 to 2,100 this year. Next year, more than 3,000 students are expected to participate at San Diego City, Mesa, and Miramar colleges.
Registration open for San Diego Promise 2-year free tuition program
April 10, 2019 |
Registration for the San Diego Promise – the San Diego Community College District’s tuition-free, two-year college program – is now open for students interested in enrolling at City, Mesa, or Miramar colleges this fall.
Signing up for the San Diego Promise is simple and can be done in three steps: completing a fall 2019 admissions application for City, Mesa, or Miramar colleges; completing a 2019-20, online Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act application; and completing a Promise application.
The San Diego Promise provides up to two years of tuition-free study for first-time, full-time students. Funded through the support of generous donors and the statewide California College Promise program, the San Diego Promise also provides book grants, individualized counseling, and hands-on support to help students develop an educational plan to meet their educational and career goals. San Diego Promise participants attend orientation and workshops and receive frequent reminders and follow up communications to assist them in remaining on track.
“The San Diego Promise offers much more than a financial guarantee,” said Lynn Neault, SDCCD Vice Chancellor of Student Services. “The program’s many wrap-around services result in San Diego Promise students faring better than their non-Promise counterparts academically.”
District officials say that fundraising will enable the San Diego Promise to continue as a two-year, free tuition program regardless of the passage of Assembly Bill 2, which proposes to expand the statewide program to two years. All first-time students are eligible to apply, regardless of financial status.
The San Diego Promise launched as a pilot program funded by private funds in 2016 with an initial cohort of 186 students whose freshman year came tuition free. Fundraising allowed the SDCCD to raise that number to 661 participants in 2017-18. After a new state law provided funding for California Community Colleges to cover a student’s first year of college, the San Diego Promise expanded to 2,100 participants in 2018-19 and included the first two years of tuition and fees for all first-time, full-time students.
More information about the San Diego Promise and a link to register can be found at www.sdccd.edu/promise.