Having trouble paying for college? Baltimore County's County Executive has proposed a program that would provide free college tuition to County residents.
On March 19, Kevin Kamenetz introduced the Baltimore County College Promise Program, hoping for it to be included in the fiscal year 2019 budget proposal. The County College Promise Program would be, if approved by the Baltimore County Council, a need-based program that would cover the full cost of tuition and fees at Baltimore County’s Community College. The proposal is part of an annual budget to be voted on during budget proceedings, which are scheduled to begin April 12. College Promise will likely have an immediate impact, especially since the proposed program has the overwhelming public support of council members. This means that students graduating this year, and those who have graduated since 2016, will be able to attend college for free when the next school semester begins in the fall.
There are some limitations to the College Promise program, including it only being available for recent high school graduates (two-year time frame) with a GPA of 2.5 or better, students pursuing an associate degree or a license of some kind, and students whose family adjusted household incomes are $69,000 or lower.
Once enrolled, participants of the program would have to be full-time students, maintain a grade point average of 2.5 or better, and complete their degree within three years.
Full-time tuition per semester at the Community College of Baltimore County is nearly $2,000. The proposal carries an annual price tag of $1 million, so the tuition is well within those parameters and that means that there's plenty of room for free college tuition.
Students who wish to learn more and apply for the program should visit the College Promise website.
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