Higher education is important and the pandemic has indirectly made it possible for many Michiganders to get free tuition at community colleges across Michigan.

There are a variety of educational programs that are offered that will allow a variety of essential workers as well as the general public to get back to school.

According to WOOD, one program that is being offered is for essential workers to get their GED or go to community college for free is called Futures for Fontliners. West Michigan community colleges have seen their highest application rates in their history during the pandemic.

Over 3,000 applications have already been made at Grand Rapids Community College. Over 1,500 applications have been make at Kalamazoo Valley Community College and Muskegon Community College is leading the pack with over 3,300 applications sent in. This is huge for the West Michigan region.

A lot of the applicants are over 25 years of age who have been taking advantage of these programs since most jobs require more than a high school education.

If you have ever wanted to further your education, now is the time to act on some of these programs that can get you into a community college for free. Free is much better than paying for tuition for 10 years after you graduate.

If you happen to have missed the deadline for the Frontliners program but are still interested, you can reach out to Michigan Reconnect that specifically offers free tuition for those who happen to be 25 years of age or older.

Michigan Reconnect has already received nearly 50,000 applicants since February 2 alone.

Take a shot at this program because your chances of qualifying are huge with about 1 million people right here in West Michigan are eligible to get a scholarship through the program.

Grand Rapids Community College has already approved 800 students for free tuition. So far only about 11,500 people have applied collectively in Kent, Ottawa, Allegan and Barry Counties so there is plenty of room to still get in.

A better education is a much better way to achieve a new job and or career in today's job market. So if you have ever thought of going to college, now is the time to make the move. Here is a link to the Reconnect program but make sure you also hit FAFSA documentation first so you can get enrolled in one of the other programs that is out there.

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