This upcoming November, the Michigan Reconnect program will be raising their qualifying age back to 25, following their decision to temporarily reduce the age to 21 in October of 2023. Reconnect aims to help qualifying students earn a college degree or certificate by covering the cost of tuition.
“If someone is 21 to 24, they have to apply and start classes by this fall in order to be eligible for Reconnect,” said Jason Schueller, Assistant Director of Adult Recruitment and Community Outreach. “Of course, they can wait until they’re 25, too. But that 21 to 24 age group is the one that only has kind of a deadline on it right now.”
Additional qualifications for the Michigan Reconnect program are:
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Apply and enroll in a community or tribal college no later than the 2024 Fall Semester 2024.
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Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
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Have lived in Michigan since July 1 of the previous calendar year.
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Have a high school diploma or equivalent or certificate of completion.
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Have not yet completed a college degree.
Students must also be enrolled in a total of 12 credit hours across the summer, fall and winter semesters to be eligible.
During the 2023-24 school year only 1,538 of 2,186 students, or 70%, of those eligible for Reconnect were taking advantage of the funds.
Students who are eligible for Reconnect but not enrolled in the program will soon begin to see notifications pop up in the online center letting them know that they could be receiving aid.
“Students that are in the 21 to 24 group are going to start seeing something in their online center pop up for the next couple months, letting them know they are eligible for it if they have not applied or we haven’t received their Reconnect scholarship application from the state,” Schueller said. “… If they are enrolled in class right now and they’re not getting it, we’re going to send something out to them too, just to let them know to apply for it.”
A gray area exists for those with summer birthdays. What if a student will be 21 before the semester starts but not before the deadline to pay for classes?
“Let’s say you want to schedule your classes now, and we want to hold it because you’re not 21 yet, you set up a pay and plan, then you get reimbursed,” Schueller said. “So we’re reimbursing all students right now in the fall and winter semester in the 21 to 24 group. So if they haven’t got that refund yet, be patient, we’re still trying to get those out to everybody.”
Reconnect pairs with FAFSA and other aid to cover the cost of tuition but additional expenses such as textbooks are expected to be covered by the student. In order to help ensure success and help manage responsibilities, Reconnect students are paired with a Reconnect completion coach as well as a success coach.
“Their whole job is to make sure they have all the resources they need to arrange if it’s housing, if it’s extra funds needed, if it’s technology issues, time management stuff,” Schueller said.
If you are eligible and not yet receiving aid, fill out this form or reach out to reconnect@grcc.edu for additional information.
