'New Haven Promise' Offers College Tuition To City Public School Students

'New Haven Promise' Offers College Tuition To City Public School Students

New Haven officials have unveiled New Haven Promise, a new program that grants college tuition to qualifying public and charter high school students.

In order to be applicable for free college tuition dollars to any public college or university in the state, high school students must maintain a 3.0 grade point average and have a 90 percent attendance rate.

[New Haven Mayor] DeStefano said the new program was intended to curb a citywide high school dropout rate of 38 percent and cultivate a college-going culture, as well as to provide an economic incentive for families to move to New Haven. Students will qualify for the financial aid on a sliding scale, with those who started in city schools at kindergarten receiving the most, 100 percent of their tuition.

New Haven isn't the first city to introduce the idea. According to NBC Connecticut, "There are similar programs in Detroit, Denver, Pittsburgh, Kalamazoo Michigan and San Antonio, Texas."

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