BOG Waiver Gets a Makeover

September 26, 2017 - 12:18 AM

The California Community Colleges longstanding “free tuition” program, the Board of Governors Fee Waiver program, has recently been rebranded as the California College Promise Grant.

The Promise Grant is expected to broaden the reach of the program aimed at making college affordable to more students. Approximately one million of the state’s 2.1 million community college students receive aid through the free tuition program.

 The Promise Grant is a first dollar plan, meaning that the covers tuition costs first and any other financial aid that is awarded can be used to offset the cost of textbooks and other non-tuition expenses.

 Another facet of the Promise Grant is that it does not set eligibility limitations based on students’ age, academic merit, or attendance status. The awarding of the grant is based on need.