Kalamazoo Times

A website has been launched by the state to help students reduce the cost of higher learning through the Michigan Achievement Scholarship.

The scholarship was spearheaded by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) and is expected to reduce the cost of going to college for the graduating class of 2023, according to a Nov. 2 press release from the governor’s office.

"Keeping college affordable has always been a priority at Kalamazoo Valley Community College,” said L. Marshall Washington, president of Kalamazoo Valley Community College. “We are pleased that students of the graduating class of 2023 will now have another option to help lower the cost of college by applying for the Michigan Achievement Scholarship. This new opportunity goes a long way toward helping learners of all ages access a post-secondary education."

Students are encouraged to apply for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to save $8,250 over the course of three years if they are seeking an associate degree at a community college, or up to $27,500 over five years at a public university and up to $20,000 over five years at a private college, the release stated.

“For too long, high costs have been a barrier to higher education,” Whitmer said. “I am so excited that we worked across the aisle to establish the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, lowering the cost of college by thousands of dollars a year for the vast majority of graduating seniors, starting with the class of 2023. All students need to do to get their Michigan Achievement Scholarship is fill out their FAFSA. I encourage every student going to community college, private college, or a public university in Michigan to speak with their parents or guardian, get their documents together, and fill out their FAFSA to save thousands of dollars.”

The scholarship is the byproduct of bipartisan legislation that hopes to build on Michigan’s “Sixty by 30” objective of 60% of adults with a skill certificate or college degree by 2030, the release stated.   

“The Michigan Achievement Scholarship will make additional education possible for the majority of Michigan’s new college students after they earn their high school diploma or equivalency,” said Sarah Szurpicki, director of the Office of Sixty by 30. “This scholarship is game-changing for Michigan families. Creating more pathways to education beyond high school means creating more pathways for Michigan students, families, and businesses to succeed.”