The Citrus College Promise Program is covering mandatory fees and tuition for hundred of students.
Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Arvid Spor said the College Promise is a two-year program in which first-year students can enroll through an early decision process at their high school.
Citrus College trustee Dr. Edward Ortell wrote in an article “students who live in the college’s service area but attend private school or are home-schooled, must attend an Early Decision workshop.”
Dean of Enrollment Services Dr. Gerald Sequeira said that these workshops would be available for private school or home-schooled students on campus.
Ortell said other promise programs only provide funding for one year, but the Citrus promise program funds students for two years.
“That’s what makes us different from the rest,” Ortell said.
Ortell cited the national student loan debt of $1.4 trillion as reason for the college to provide tuition assistance.
“The Promise helps cut student debt in half,” Ortell said.
Because of exceeding debt and the need for a more skilled workforce, community colleges throughout the state have started “‘promise programs’, which cover tuition and other costs associated with attending college.
The Citrus College Foundation funds the majority of the promise program with donations.
Spor said to qualify students must go through an early decision process, where they go through orientation and assessment. Students then form an educational plan with a Citrus counselor.
By simplifying the process, Sequeira said that more students should qualify for the Promise program.
Sequeira said by removing the placement assessment, recruiting out-of-district students will be easier since the process will become simplified.
To enroll in the College Promise Program, Spor said students must finish the Free Application for Federal Student Aid application.
Sequeira said in an email promise program requirements include applying to the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services program and signing up with the I Will Complete College program.
“Once they’ve done those steps, then they can be considered part of the Promise Program,” Spor said.
Spor said students must also be enrolled in a minimum of 12 units in the fall and spring semesters, as part of rules held by the promise program.
Sequeira said in an email the promise program does not restrict the maximum amount of units a student can enroll in.
“We pay as many units as a student is enrolled in Fall and Spring,” Sequeira said in an email. “The idea is we want them to graduate in two years, the only way you can graduate in two years if you only count Fall and Spring is if you take 15 units each semester.”
However, Sequeira said in an email the promise program does not cover fees for the Winter and Summer sessions.
Spor said to be accepted into the second year of the program student must complete 30 units with at least a 2.5 grade point average.
Sequeira said a 2.0 GPA is required between first year fall and spring semesters.
The College Promise offers multiple support services aimed at college completion.
“Probably the number one thing that we do for students is we track students down and we call them,” Sequeira said in an email.
Sequeira said in an email the Promise program works with different departments understand individual student graduation requirements.
Sequeira said in an email the I Will Complete College program has three specialists to contact students about counselor appointments.
“We’re actually hiring a fourth because the program has grown so much” Sequeira said.
Sequeira said in an email 616 students have met all program requirements this year, up almost 200 from last year.
Sequeira also said in an email new first-time college student enrollment is up 11% compared to last fall.
The IWCC program works with the College Promise program but the Promise program has more restrictions.
“You can be I Will Complete College without being in the Promise program” Sequeira said.
Promise students have to complete 30 units before the start of the second year, but IWCC students do not.
Sequeira said IWCC does not require students to have a minimum 2.0 GPA between the fall and spring semesters of their first year.
“So they’re continuing to receive support even if they’re on probation” Sequeira said in an email.
Ortell said in the article “Two years of college at little or no cost could save families tens of thousands of dollars and prevent many students from signing up for loans that could take them decades to repay.”
As long as students in the program keep up grades and stay on track towards graduation, they do not have to pay tuition or fees at Citrus.
“It’s really wonderful that the college is providing this program for students,” Sequeira said in an email.
Ortell said in an email that “the significance of offering students the first two years of their college education at little or no cost cannot be overstated.”
“The Citrus College Promise represents an important milestone in the history of the college.” Ortell said.
