Mesa high school students can now apply to the Mesa College Promise Fund
The first Mesa high school students have become eligible for the Mesa College Promise Fund for the fall 2021 semester. The fund was created in February 2020 in partnership with the City of Mesa and Mesa Community College to cover tuition, fees and academic services to eligible students.
Additional details are available since the first announcement of the fund.
Eligibility is based on high school GPA of 2.0 or higher and Mesa residency. Once a student files their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the Mesa College Promise Fund will cover remaining tuition and fees. But students are not required to be eligible for FAFSA.
Funding can also be put towards things like a new laptop, food, rent, or clothes. Students also already receive free MCC services like tutoring, parking, counseling, job skill assistance and the food pantry.
“We’re looking at really expanding how we look at scholarships. It’s beyond tuition and fees, it’s about supporting the whole student,” said City of Mesa Education and Workforce Development director Amy Trethaway. The goal of the fund is to increase the outreach of financial aid for students who seek to continue their education.
“We know as a municipality, and MCC knows, that GPA is not necessarily a predictor of your academic success like it used to be,” said Trethaway.
Students will be assigned to an advisor who is in charge of monitoring their academic progress and ensuring they continue to qualify.
Once accepted into the program, students will not need to reapply every semester. Advisors will reassess how much aid should be given per semester as well. They are given three years to complete a two year degree once accepted into the program.
The City of Mesa has committed over $100,000 to the fund, which has been matched by local businesses. The program also received funding from the federal COVID-19 relief fund in May. In total, over $200,000 has been pledged for the first year to help students attend Mesa Community College.
“The long term goal would be to have an endowment so this never runs out,” said Trethaway.
The fund was inspired by similar programs such as the Utah Promise Program and the Long Beach Promise.
The City of Mesa has worked to provide students with even more financial aid when it comes to pursuing a higher education. Now, with the help of Mesa Community College, hundreds of thousands of dollars can go towards students who may not fit the criteria for other programs.
“The idea is to make it simple, and make it useful, and fund things that students need regardless of judgement.” said Trethaway. The hope is that the fund will fill in the gaps that more traditional scholarship programs fail to cover. Students can go to mesacc.edu/mesa-promise to begin filling out an application.
