By Noelle Kronberg
EAGLE TIMES EDUCATION REPORTER
The Community College System of New Hampshire has a new program to help make college more affordable.
The Promise Program is a need-based program to bridge the gap between grants and scholarships students receive and the actual cost of college.
The amount each student receives will vary and students will need to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to determine their eligibility.
The Promise Program is available for students who qualify for the federal Pell grant and are enrolled in at least six credits per semester at one of New Hampshire’s seven community colleges.
Funding for the new program comes from the recently passed state biennial budget.
River Valley Community College President Alfred Williams said he hopes that the success of this program will demonstrate a need for this type of funding and be included in future budgets.
According to Williams, approximately 40 percent of current students at River Valley Community College in Claremont are eligible for this program. He said when the college has implemented similar funding programs in the past, it has seen an uptick in enrollment.
Since the FAFSA formula takes into account more than just income, it is difficult to guess who might be Pell-eligible. Because of this, Williams said it is important that those who are interested connect with the school’s financial aid department and fill out the FAFSA.
“Even when students don’t qualify,” he said, “if they come in to discuss this as an option, they learn about other scholarship programs and we can connect them with other funding sources.”
One such funding source is the Rural Healthcare Scholarship from a partnership with Dartmouth Health for students who are already working in a rural healthcare setting to further their credentials.
The Promise Program comes on the heels of the system’s announcement that tuition costs will be frozen next year.
“What excites me most about this program,” Williams said, “is there is a myth out there that college is unaffordable. All this talk about how much debt graduates have incurred scares people and they think that’s the only way. I see that community college is affordable and can transfer directly into a four year program or be applied to a job. I hear stories of our graduates going into jobs with $60,000-$70,000 as a starting salary.”
“Some people say that New Hampshire faces a challenging future, owing to slow growth and an aging population, but that also means that New Hampshire’s future is filled with opportunities for people who are prepared to pursue them,” said system Chancellor Mark Rubinstein.
The Promise Program will go into effect with the upcoming school year, both for students who are already enrolled and those who have yet to enroll.
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