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Spartanburg Community College extends free tuition

Ross Norton //January 20, 2022//

Spartanburg Community College extends free tuition

Ross Norton //January 20, 2022//

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Free college isn’t just a campaign promise at Spartanburg Community College. For the last year it’s been reality, and one that has more than attained its objectives.

Since May 2021 when the college announced free tuition, enrollment has risen at SCC while falling at other colleges in the S.C. Technical College System.

Now the school has extended its tuition initiative through the 2022-2023 academic year, according to a news release.  

"I am proud to announce today that all programs of study at Spartanburg Community College will continue to be tuition free for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year, meaning students who started or resumed their journey in higher education will be able to continue that journey at virtually no cost," Michael Mikota, president of SCC said in the Jan. 19 announcement. "The first year of free tuition has generated an extraordinary impact to thousands of individual students and to the thriving community at large, and we are now looking to sustain this momentum and use it to build out our services to help us achieve our goal of being the most affordable, accessible and relevant higher education institution in the country."

The program means free tuition for all programs, including general education, transfer and workforce development. Since last May, SCC has seen a 32% increase in enrollment compared to an 8% decline across the technical college system and a 17% decline in nationwide community college enrollment, according to the release. The college also reported an increase in minority enrollment and a 66% increase in all students aged 24 and older.

"The increase we have seen in our enrollment, which stands currently as the highest in the college's history, is incredible but nothing is more encouraging to me than the explosion of our adult learner population," Mikota said in the release. "At some point, many of these individuals believed they had reached the end of the road regarding the attainment of their higher education and workforce dreams. However, they are now finding new avenues to success and opportunity that run through Spartanburg Community College."

The extension of the free tuition initiative is possible because of federal, state and local funds as well as support from SCC’s partnerships with OneSpartanburg Inc. and the Spartanburg Academic Movement.

Free tuition for all of the 70-plus programs offered at Spartanburg Community College is available to anyone who lives or works full time in South Carolina and enrolls in a minimum of six credit hours in the program of their choice, the release said.

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