Tuition-free college in the United States is becoming more likely as time goes on. The latest step to make what was once a far-fetched dream into a legitimate reality came in Detroit. The Detroit Promise Zone program that launched this part March will make attending any of Detroit’s five community colleges tuition-free for high school seniors who attended public, private or charter schools in the city. 

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a high school senior preparing for college now or a second-grader whose college career is years away. The Detroit Promise will be there to help make a college education a reality,” Mayor Mike Duggan told CNN.

As of now, around 500 students are expected to utilize the program each fall. All that students need to do to be eligible is be a resident of Detroit, attend a local school for at least 2 years and register by June 30 on the Detroit Scholarship Fund website. Students will also have to file out their FAFSA, but family income doesn’t eliminate anyone from inclusion into the program. However, scholarship amounts will vary depending on any other grants of scholarships the student has received.

The Detroit Scholarship program has already been in place for 3 years and reportedly sent more than 2,000 students through Detroit community colleges through privately funded scholarships. Detroit Promise Zone will take that mission and step away from private donations and depend solely on property taxes by 2018.

“We are confident that Detroit’s future will be even brighter now that our city’s future leaders will be able to go to college at no cost,” said Detroit Promise Zone Authority Board Chairwoman Penny Bailer.

Hopes are that the program will become so successful that it can then be introduced towards four-year institutions.

Photo Courtesy: Open source