Indian River State College continues free tuition program for Treasure Coast 2023 grads

Colleen Wixon, Treasure Coast Newspapers
·2 min read

FORT PIERCE — Indian River State College will continue its Promise Program for a second year, offering free tuition to local 2023 high school graduates.

The IRSC Foundation agreed unanimously Monday to continue the program for a second year. The college hopes to expand the 2023 program by reaching more students who might not have considered college as a possibility and possibly offering more course options, IRSC spokeswoman Suzanne Seldes said.

"We're going to cast the net a little bit wider," Seldes said. "Our goal is to look at the success of the program and build on that (success) every year."

The $1.4 million program, launched in March, attracted 2,200 Treasure Coast graduates to pursue the no-risk chance to earn an associate degree.

Any 2022 public high school graduate was eligible, regardless of family income or high school grade point average.

Free tuition? Did IRSC's new Promise Program bring more high school grads to its campuses?

A degree for free: More than 6,000 high school grads could earn free associate degrees at IRSC

"I thought it (Promise Program) was a great opportunity to get two free years of college," said Treasure Coast High School graduate Tori Washington, of Port St. Lucie, (left) who heads to her American history class Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022, at the Indian River State College Pruitt Campus in Port St. Lucie. IRSC's new Promise Program was initiated this year, offering all 2022 Treasure Coast public school graduates free tuition toward an associate's degree. The program enticed the highest freshman class in IRSC's history with 3,200 students enrolled, an 8% increase in enrollment over previous years, the college said.

Requirements were simple: Students in the program pledge to take at least 12 credit hours per semester, maintain a 2.0 GPA and make progress toward the associate degree.

In exchange, IRSC made free tutoring and resources available to help students succeed. The college also helped students apply for federal financial aid to help with books and living expenses while in college.

The program boosted the college's enrollment to its largest freshman class, 3,236 students. Overall enrollment increased by 8.9%, from 4,139 in fall 2021 to 4,508 for fall 2022, the college said. Total enrollment also improved at the college, from 14,601 students to 15,390.

Details of the 2023 program are to be unveiled Nov. 16 at Sebastian River High School. Application to the program begins that day and continues through March 10.

Eligibility will mostly remain the same, although there will be some changes to allow for the program to expand with more offerings and attract more students to the college, Seldes said.

Details about the program can be found online at www.promise.irsc.edu.

Colleen Wixon is the education reporter for TCPalm.com. Contact her at Colleen.Wixon@TCPalm.com or 772-978-2235.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Indian River State College: Free tuition program continues for 2023 grads