Eastern Wayne Today

Future college students from low-income families in six Michigan counties could receive a four-year higher education free of charge from Grand Valley State University, according to Bridge Michigan.

It's all part of the Grand Valley Pledge, which aims to provide free tuition to students who meet the requirements and live in a county where the school has a location. The first step for potential students is to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Michelle Rhodes, associate vice president for financial aid at GVSU, said the pledge eliminates the need for these students to fill out several complex financial aid forms in order to receive monetary assistance for college. "We wanted to make it as simple as possible," Rhodes said, according to Grand Valley State University's website.

Rhodes said the new program gives these students, who otherwise might not have the ability to pay for college, the chance to invest in their own future. 

Students eligible for the free tuition offer must have a family income of under $50,000 a year and be accepted to GVSU as a freshman for the fall 2021 semester.  They also must live in either Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon, Grand Traverse, Calhoun or Wayne County.

"It is another way of assuring that we create opportunity and advance equity in the communities in which we live and teach, as well as inspire a broader movement of making higher education accessible to all," Philomena Mantella, president of Grand Valley State University, told the university's website.

The award can be renewed every year, as long as students file their FAFSA annually. They also have to continue to meet the eligibility requirements and maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress, the requirements of which vary among undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students.