Do you have employees who need to complete their college degree? Or are you yourself needing a certain degree or credential to advance? Thanks to a new state scholarship called Michigan Reconnect, pursue an associate degree or certificate – for free — at Kalamazoo Valley Community College.

The Michigan Reconnect scholarship pays the remaining in-district tuition balance and any other outstanding fees after state and federal financial aid have been applied. Students must carry a course load of six credit hours or more per semester.

To be eligible, you must be 25 years or older at the time of application, hold a high school diploma or GED, have lived in Michigan for at least a year and are not in default on a federal student loan.

There is still time to enroll for Kalamazoo Valley Community College’s winter semester that begins Jan. 10, and be considered for the Reconnect scholarship.

“Going to college is a big decision, but this is the time to do it,” said Megan Pauken, director of enrollment management at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. “We are excited to welcome Reconnect scholars to the college.”

Forty-one percent of the state’s residents of working age had an associate degree or higher as of 2019, according to the Michigan Community College Association.

Launched in February, the $30 million Michigan Reconnect is the largest effort in state history to help Michigan’s more than 4.1 million residents aged 25 or older without college degrees to earn tuition-free associate degrees or skills certificates at their in-district community colleges.

Individuals are still eligible for Michigan Reconnect dollars if they have started studies for an associate or bachelor’s degree, as long as they have not finished. They also qualify if they are currently enrolled in a community college.

Students for whom Kalamazoo Valley Community College is out-of-district can receive a large tuition discount under the Michigan Reconnect initiative.

For more about Michigan Reconnect at Kalamazoo Valley, visit kvcc.edu/reconnect, or call 269.488.4303. The application is located at michigan.gov/reconnect. It takes less than five minutes to complete, and can be done on a mobile device.

Established in 1966, Kalamazoo Valley Community College offers certificate programs in more than 50 areas of study and associate degrees in 60 others. These include business, healthcare, human and public service, and technical occupations, culinary arts and brewing training. It has four Kalamazoo, Mich., locations, including the Texas Township Campus, the Groves Campus, the Arcadia Commons Campus and the Bronson Healthy Living Campus. Classes are available during the day, evening, online and weekends.

Photo credit: Kalamazoo Valley Community College