Durham Tech announces tuition-free program for Fall 2022. See if you’re eligible
Some recent North Carolina high school graduates will be able to attend Durham Technical Community College tuition-free this fall.
The initiative follows similar programs at Wake Tech and other community colleges around the state.
Under the new program, North Carolina residents who graduated in 2021, as well as those graduating this spring, can enroll at Durham Tech this fall without paying tuition costs, according to a news release. Students will still have to pay for textbooks and other course materials, if they are not otherwise covered under financial aid.
The tuition-free initiative will supplement North Carolina’s Longleaf Commitment grants, which cover costs at the state’s community colleges for low-income students.
More than 11,000 students at community colleges around the state have received tuition assistance through the Longleaf Commitment program in the past academic year, The News & Observer reported last month.
Durham Tech will provide eligible students with scholarships for the next two school years. Those scholarships will pay tuition costs not covered under federal Pell grants, Longleaf Commitment grants or other funds.
Who is eligible for tuition?
To be eligible, students must be state residents admitted to a Durham Tech credit program. In 2021 or 2022, students must have graduated from a North Carolina high school, earned a GED, completed an Adult High School diploma, or completed homeschooling.
Students must be first-time college students, but those enrolled in Career and College Promise and Early/Middle College programs will still qualify.
Students must also complete the 2022-23 Free Application for Federal Student Aid, have an expected family contribution between $0 and $15,000, and enroll in at least six credit hours per semester beginning in Fall 2022.
They must also meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress requirement, a federal stipulation that ties continued financial aid to an academic achievement benchmark.
Students who are eligible for the tuition-free program will be contacted by the Durham Tech Financial Aid Office, the college said.
This story was originally published April 11, 2022 at 3:02 PM.