Duggan announces Detroit Promise: two years of free college

DETROIT (WJBK) - Mayor Mike Duggan made a big promise to Detroit's high school graduates: you graduate high school, you go to school for free for two years. The promise is a game changer for families and students and may help bring in more families to Detroit.

Duggan unveiled his plan on Tuesday saying that every high school graduate living in Detroit gets two years of community college for free.

"If people know that if they move into the city of Detroit, they've got two years of college guaranteed, we'll get more people going in, property values going up, the state will do better, the schools be better"

Duggan is calling it the Detroit Promise and it's paid for by grants, tax revenue, and private funding. So how much will have to be raised? The President of Michigan Education Excellence Foundation said they're still trying to figure that out.

"We're still working the numbers. we hope to make some fairly significant announcement in the coming months," Peter Remington said.

There's no GPA requirement, but students to have to go to Detroit schools for two years, which includes public, charter, private or religious schools, and graduate. The community colleges participating include, Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb community colleges as well as Henry Ford and Schoolcraft Colleges.

Mayor Duggan stresses that the program will not raise tax rates in Detroit.

"It does not change your tax rate at all. It just means as property values grow, some of that growth goes to your children's scholarships"

Students have until June 30th to apply for the free tuition. Know somebody in the Detroit school district? Click here to start applying.