More than 700 for free Columbus State tuition, path to Ohio State
More than 700 Columbus City Schools seniors have completed the full application process for the Columbus Promise — an initiative that allows graduating seniors in the district to attend Columbus State Community College free.
This year's seniors are the first of three Columbus school district graduating classes eligible to participate in Columbus Promise. Columbus’ classes of 2023 and 2024 graduates are also eligible.
Read more about the Columbus Promise: New program offers Columbus City Schools graduates free tuition at Columbus State
Columbus Promise covers all tuition and fees at Columbus State Community College (after Pell grant and any tuition-restricted scholarships), and provides another $500 per semester or $1,000 annually for books, technology and other educational expenses for up to six semesters there.
“We want them to walk in like they own the place," Columbus State President David Harrison said of Columbus City Schools students. "We really want them to have an experience that far exceeds their expectations. We’re very encouraged by the numbers and the enthusiasm."
Applying is a three-step process: fill out an application for Columbus Promise scholarship at cbuspromise.com, complete an application to Columbus State and fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, better known as FAFSA.
In addition to the 700 who have completed the application process, an additional 274 Columbus seniors have started the process, said Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin.
“These are folks who really thought they were down and out and believed that higher education was really not for them,” Hardin said of the participating Columbus City Schools students. “I’m excited that in a few short months they will be starting their first semester in college.”
Hardin, who attended Columbus Africentric K-8 and Columbus Alternative High School, said he has more than $160,000 in student debt.
'I will be debt-free'
David Ananou-Lawson remembers when the COVID-19 pandemic forced his classes at Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center online. He was unsure where he would attend college, but that all changed when the Columbus Promise was announced.
"The Columbus Promise has promised me that I will be debt-free,” the 18-year-old senior said. “My family doesn't have to rally to find funds for me to attend (college). My future is secured and it cost me nothing to apply.”
Ananou-Lawson is going to attend Columbus State this fall to study computer science with a concentration in programming.
“The Promise has allowed me to feel safe that I will receive a competitive education at no charge,” he said.
Martin Robles, 17, a senior at Linden-McKinley STEM Academy, is going to Columbus State to study sports management through The Columbus Promise.
“Debt-free college. It’s a big opportunity for people like me,” he said.
Larreal Sowell, 17, a senior at Northland High School, said the Columbus Promise fits perfectly with his plans to get a degree in business management. He was originally planning to attend Ohio State University this fall, but now plans to spend two years studying at Columbus State and then take his credits and finish his degree at Ohio State.
“It’s almost like a relief,” Sowell said. “It alleviated my fears."
There are about 2,500 students in Columbus City Schools' 2022 senior class, and slightly more than a quarter of them have completed the application process for the Columbus Promise.
In previous years, between 300-400 Columbus graduates attended Columbus State, and that number is expected to grow through the Columbus Promise, said Columbus City Schools Superintendent Talisa Dixon.
“I look forward to seeing our scholars engage and grow on the campus of Columbus State," she said. “It gives our students the opportunity to try and all that cost them is their effort and dedication to achieving a brighter future.”
How does the Columbus Promise work?
The first class of Columbus Promise students are expected to start graduating from Columbus State or transfer to a four-year college such as Ohio State in the fall of 2024.
Students can use The Columbus Promise to pay for all associate degree programs at Columbus State as well as most certificate programs, for up to six semesters.
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For students to remain eligible in The Columbus Promise, they must be enrolled at least part-time at the two-year public college and maintain a 2.0 grade-point average.
The Columbus Promise, which has been in the works since 2019, was first announced in November. The deadline for the first application cycle was April 15 and the deadline for the next application cycle is Aug. 15.
The approximate yearly cost for a full-time student to attend Columbus State is $5,038.
Undocumented students with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status will also be included in The Columbus Promise, even though they are not eligible for federal student aid.
How is The Columbus Promise funded?
The estimated cost for phase one of the Columbus Promise is $9.5 million, which will be split between public and private sponsors. The city of Columbus will contribute $4 million and Columbus State will contribute $1 million.
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The remaining $4.5 million will be raised from the private sector. More than $1.5 million has been raised to date between commitments from American Electric Power, Columbus developer Jeff Edwards, DLZ Principal Senior Vice President Ram Rajadhyaksha, Denison University, and the Columbus Foundation.
New investors in the Columbus Promise include Bath and Body works, Columbia Gas, Cardinal Health, Huntington, IGS Energy, Mount Carmel Health System, Nationwide, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, OhioHealth, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and the Wolfe Foundation.
The Columbus Promise is only about $200,000 short of its fundraising goal, said Katina Fullen, the executive director of I Know I Can, a nonprofit group that aims to provide college access for Columbus students.
I Know I Can, is a partner in the program and will place one staff member at each high school to work alongside school counselors to help students fill out the FAFSA and apply to the scholarship program as well as Columbus State.
Helping fill in-demand jobs
A little less than half of Franklin County residents have at least an associate degree or industry-recognized credentials, yet research shows that 65% of Greater Columbus jobs will require one of these by 2025. It would take until 2060 to meet this goal if pre-pandemic trends persist, according to the Columbus Promise partners.
Students of color are more likely to borrow more for their education. In 2018, 60% of Pell grant recipients are students of color.
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"If we did not do something like the Promise, we would just fall completely behind and not have the workforce that would keep up with the jobs that are being created," Hardin said.
Tuition-free programs
Columbus State is renovating the lower space of Rhodes Hall for $750,000 to help support Columbus Promise students.
“If you think of the support system for the Ohio State football team, that’s the vibe that we’re trying to replicate here for these students," Harrison said.
The Columbus Promise could also help bolster Columbus State's enrollment, which has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent data from the National Student Clearinghouse shows undergraduate enrollment at community colleges nationwide has dropped nearly 6% since fall 2019.
Columbus State saw less than a half-percent decrease in student enrollment from fall 2019 to 2020. But in the 2020-2021 school year, the community college saw approximately a 9% decrease in fall student enrollment, a loss of more than 2,400 students.
If the number of Columbus City seniors signed up through the Columbus Promise hold up, Harrison said Columbus State will have more freshmen this year than they have had in prior years.
The first modern tuition-free program started in 2005 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where money was pledged to pay the tuition of most students who graduate from the district's public high schools to attend any of Michigan's public universities or community colleges.
Megan Henry is a Columbus Dispatch K-12 education reporter. Reach her at mhenry@dispatch.com or (614) 559-1758. Follow her on Twitter @megankhenry. Sign up for her education newsletter here.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus schools' Class of 2022 is first of three eligible for program
