By Anne Krueger | Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District
Can college really be free? It can for East County high school students under a new scholarship program in which all qualifying graduates of Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) schools will be offered a free year of classes at Grossmont or Cuyamaca College.
The scholarships, known as the Higher Edge, will first be offered to Class of 2019 GUHSD graduates. In addition, high school students will be offered support services and opportunities to explore careers to help them discover a field that excites them and obtain the education they need to meet their goals.
The Higher Edge scholarship program is the first in San Diego County to offer high school students a year of free community college classes. It was created through the East County Education Alliance, a partnership between the East County high school district and the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District.
“The Higher Edge scholarship will transform East County and the lives of thousands of students,” Cindy L. Miles, chancellor of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District in said in a statement. “With this scholarship and support, students will come to college prepared and confident they have the resources they need to be successful.”
Students who qualify for the scholarship will be able to take up to 30 units of college coursework without paying a fee, typically $46 a credit unit. They will also receive a free laptop, a year of free parking at the colleges, and free tutoring, counseling, support services and student-success workshops.
A college degree has become an increasingly important need for both the East County workforce and for students. Studies have found that by 2020, about 15,000 of the jobs in East County will require at least an associate degree or advanced technical training. And community college graduates earn on average $560,000 more in their lifetimes than someone with a high school diploma.
“This is an incredible opportunity for our high school graduates,” GUHSD Superintendent Ralf Swenson said. “Every graduate can now have college and career training within their grasp, no matter their economic background.”
To qualify for the scholarship, students must have lived in the high school district for at least two years, have at least a 2.0 grade-point average, and obtain their diploma from a Grossmont Union high school. They are also required to fill out a federal financial aid form, begin college within a year after they graduate from high school, and take at least six credit hours of college classes per semester.
To help the new graduates be successful, they also must undergo an orientation and assessment and develop a plan for their college education. Scholarship recipients will also be expected to complete a summer program before starting at Grossmont or Cuyamaca that will better prepare them for college.
Although scholarships will not be available to current GUHSD juniors and seniors, they will be eligible for free tutoring, counseling, support services and priority registration through the Leading Edge scholarship.
The scholarship program will cost about $500,000 a year, and much of the money for the first year has already been raised. John Valencia, CEO of the college district’s foundation, said he is confident money can be raised through a combination of individual, corporate and employee donations to create an endowment so the scholarship will continue in perpetuity.
“I know the East County community will see the value of this scholarship and want to help fund it,” Valencia said. “We’re excited to launch this innovative program.”
To donate to the scholarship fund, go to higheredgescholarship.org. For more information about the East County Education Alliance, go to eastcountyeducationalliance.org.
––Anne Krueger is the communications and public information director for the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District. She can be reaced at [email protected].
