Ann Zaniewski

Detroit Free Press

A program that provides two years of free college tuition for Detroit residents has been expanded to cover four years of education for students with good grades.

Officials said today that the Detroit Promise program has grown to make the city the largest in the U.S. to give all its students a chance to earn a college degree tuition-free.

“The Detroit Promise is changing lives,” Mayor Mike Duggan said in a news release. “This program is one of the most significant ways we are removing barriers to opportunity for young Detroiters so they can realize their full potential in life without the burden of student debt.”

Detroit Promise pays for tuition costs not covered by grants and other scholarships students receive.

Duggan, Gov. Rick Snyder and other officials touted the expansion at a news conference the same day that registration began for students who will graduate from high school in 2017.

►Related: Could this 12-year, unconditional mentors program help Detroit's kids?

►Related: What it's like for kids to grow up in Detroit

How it works

To be eligible for two years of free tuition at a community college, students must live in Detroit and have spent their junior and senior years at a high school — whether traditional public, private or charter — in the city. They have to register for the program by June 30. No minimum G.P.A. is required.

The participating community colleges are Henry Ford College, Macomb Community College, Oakland Community College, Schoolcraft College and Wayne County Community College District.

To be eligible for funding at a four-year university or college, Detroit residents must have attended all four years of high school in the city and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 by Feb. 1 of their senior year, which is also the deadline to register. They need a minimum score of 21 on the ACT or 1060 on the SAT.

►Related: What 1 thing would kids growing up in Detroit change?

►Related: Adults share children's concerns about life in Detroit

Eastern Michigan University, Michigan State University, University of Michigan (all campuses), Wayne State University and Western Michigan University have an unlimited number of scholarships available for Detroit Promise students.

Other participating schools have a limited number of scholarships or different entry requirements for students, such as a different minimum G.P.A. They are Central Michigan University, Marygrove College, Michigan Technological University, Northern Michigan University, Oakland University, Saginaw Valley State University and University of Detroit Mercy, according to the Detroit Regional Chamber's website.

More than 700 Class of 2016 graduates are attending higher education institutions this fall through Detroit Promise.

Four-year scholarships began this fall and will continue at least through next fall — and likely beyond.

"Our intention is to make this a permanent fixture in the Detroit education landscape," Sandy Baruah, CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber, said. The chamber administers the program.

Detroit Promise grew out of an effort in 2013 by the Michigan Education Excellence Foundation and the Detroit Regional Chamber, which created and raised funds for the Detroit Scholarship Fund. The fund has helped more than 2,000 Detroit students attend community college tuition-free.

Detroit Promise is based on a program former Gov. Jennifer Granholm initiated in 2009, creating 10 Promise Zone communities in cities with high poverty rates. Detroit and school districts in Pontiac, Hazel Park, Saginaw, Lansing, Jackson, Benton Harbor, Baldwin and Battle Creek were eligible.

The Promise Zone legislation requires a private organization to fund two years of scholarships before any taxes can be captured. Officials said the MEEF and the Detroit Regional Chamber will continue to fund the scholarships until the Detroit Promise Zone tax capture is permitted in 2018.

Under state rules, the first two years of Promise Zones must be funded through philanthropy. Officials have said that beginning in 2018, Detroit Promise will be funded by increases in property tax revenue based on the 6 mills of the State Education Tax; the program will capture half of any increase in property tax revenue from the education tax.

Contact Ann Zaniewski: 313-222-6594 or azaniewski@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @AnnZaniewski. Free Press staff writer Matt Helms contributed to this report.

Learn more

For more information about Detroit Promise, visit www.DetroitScholarshipFund.com.