Vermont's Independent Voice
Browse News
Browse Arts + Life
Browse Food + Drink
Browse Cannabis
Browse Music
Browse On Screen
Browse Events
Browse Classifieds
Browse Personals
Published February 28, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. | Updated March 2, 2023 at 11:07 a.m.
Since 2013, Vermont teens have been eligible for the Early College Program, which lets students complete their last year of high school and their first year of college at the same time — for free — at one of six approved colleges. Last spring, the J. Warren & Lois McClure Foundation announced it would fund a second free year for students enrolled in the Early College Program at the Community College of Vermont, allowing them to earn an associate's degree at no cost one year after graduating from high school.
The initiative, called the Free Degree Promise, also includes a living stipend and career counseling. All students currently enrolled in grades 9 through 11 are eligible to participate, along with high school students currently enrolled in the Early College Program at CCV.
This five-year commitment is testing whether giving students access to a free education will make them more likely to enroll in postsecondary classes.
A year into the experiment, the answer appears to be yes.
This fall, CCV reported its largest Early College enrollment ever: 198 students, 39 percent of whom are first-generation college students and 42 percent of whom are identified as low-income by their school counselor, according to the McClure Foundation. That total represents a 30 percent increase in the number of students enrolled from low-income families.
Find more information about the McClure Free Degree Promise at ccv.edu/freedegree.
More By This Author
About The Author
Cathy Resmer
Bio:
Deputy publisher Cathy Resmer is an organizer of the Vermont Tech Jam. She also oversees Seven Days' parenting publication, Kids VT, and created the Good Citizen Challenge, a youth civics initiative. Resmer began her career at Seven Days as a freelance writer in 2001. Hired as a staff writer in 2005, she became the publication's first online editor in 2007.
Deputy publisher Cathy Resmer is an organizer of the Vermont Tech Jam. She also oversees Seven Days' parenting publication, Kids VT, and created the Good Citizen Challenge, a youth civics initiative. Resmer began her career at Seven Days as a freelance writer in 2001. Hired as a staff writer in 2005, she became the publication's first online editor in 2007.
Comments
Comments are closed.
From 2014-2020, Seven Days allowed readers to comment on all stories posted on our website. While we've appreciated the suggestions and insights, right now Seven Days is prioritizing our core mission — producing high-quality, responsible local journalism — over moderating online debates between readers.
To criticize, correct or praise our reporting, please send us a letter to the editor or send us a tip. We’ll check it out and report the results.
Online comments may return when we have better tech tools for managing them. Thanks for reading.
