Michigan Reconnect Expansion Deadline Extended Until End of the Year

Today, the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) announced a new deadline - Dec. 31, 2024 - for adults ages 21 to 24 who have not yet earned a college degree to enroll in Michigan Reconnect, the tuition-free community college scholarship program, traditionally limited to those 25 and older.

"Extending the deadline for Michigan Reconnect gives prospective and current students ages 21 to 24 more time to benefit from this limited-time opportunity," said Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea, director of MiLEAP. "Reconnect is one example of how we are responding to the needs of our state - and a testament to our dedication to ensuring every individual has access to the necessary resources to secure their educational futures and pursue a path to prosperity."

Michigan Reconnect, launched by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and a bipartisan legislature in 2021, is the largest program in state history that allows students to earn a skill certificate or degree tuition-free at their local community college. Powered by $70 million in federal funding from the Biden-Harris administration, the Governor announced last October that the program would be temporarily expanded to include adults ages 21 to 24, opening the door for 350,000 more Michiganders to complete a skills certificate or degree.

MiLEAP announced that students now have until Dec. 31, 2024, to apply. In order to receive the Michigan Reconnect scholarship, students ages 21 to 24 will need to enroll and begin their coursework by the upcoming summer semester in 2025.

Since the program's initial launch, 177,000 Michiganders have applied for Michigan Reconnect and are taking their first step toward a college degree, helping Michigan make progress toward the state's Sixty by 30 goal to increase the number of working-age adults with a skill certificate or college degree from the current level of 51.1% to 60% by 2030. The state has seen significant interest in Reconnect among students 21 to 24, with over 23,000 applications and more than 5,000 students already enrolled in Michigan's community and Tribal colleges. Nearly 1,800 students at Kalamazoo Valley are currently participating in the Reconnect expansion.