'Free Degree Promise' Will Pay for Vermont Students to Attend Community College

By ALISON NOVAK
APRIL 26, 2022

The McClure Foundation announced on Tuesday that it will pay for an associate degree at the Community College of Vermont for all in-state students currently in grades 8 through 11.

To take advantage of the foundation's newly launched Free Degree Promise, students must attend CCV's Early College Program during their senior year of high school. The foundation would then pay for them to complete any of the community college's 11 associate degree programs — from health science to information technology to early childhood education. In addition to covering tuition, McClure will provide a stipend between $500 and $1,000 to help with expenses such as books and transportation.

Vermont's Early College Program allows high school seniors to attend one of six approved colleges — Castleton University, Community College of Vermont, Goddard College, Northern Vermont University, Norwich University or Vermont Technical College — and earn both high school and college credits simultaneously, free of charge. The program enables high schoolers to get a jumpstart on higher ed and save money on college tuition, since they graduate high school with a year's worth of college credits already under their belt.

The Free Degree Promise essentially extends the Early College Program at CCV by another year, enabling Vermont students to rack up a second year of college and earn their associate degree — at no cost.

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