First-time SRJC students can get tuition free

First-time college students who sign up to take classes full time at Santa Rosa Junior College may be eligible to receive their first year of tuition in 2018-19 essentially free.

In October 2017, the California State legislature passed Assembly Bill 19, known as the California College Promise, which provides financial aid to first-time college students attending a California community college with a full-time course load of 12 or more units, regardless of income. This aid covers student enrollment fees of $46 per unit, for those who qualify.

Additionally, SRJC offers the SRJC Doyle Scholarship, which provides financial assistance to eligible students who graduated from high school in the 2017-18 school year with an unweighted grade point average of 2.0 or higher. This assistance, totaling up to $1,200 per student in 2018-19, is available for eligible students who enroll full-time at SRJC. Together, these two programs allow SRJC students to pursue an Associate’s Degree, participate in a certificate program or obtain the units necessary to transfer to a four-year institution, tuition-free.

SRJC President Frank Chong said that he is proud to be able to offer higher education to local students at no cost to them. “SRJC is an institution focused on inclusivity and on easy access to education,” he said. “We strive to provide as many students as possible with a quality education, and this allows us to further that goal.”

SRJC student Leela Langlois said that because she is a triplet, her family has to plan ahead to pay for everything three times over. “When my sister and I both received the grant, it came as a big surprise, and we are all so grateful,” she said. “Knowing that my entire first year of college was paid for took a weight off my shoulders.”

More information on free college is available at https://srjcforfree.santarosa.edu/

Doyle Scholarships are funded by the Frank P. Doyle and Polly O’Meara Doyle Trust. Since 1950, more than 127,000 students have received Doyle Scholarships, totaling more than $82 million.

These scholarships also have recently expanded to include continuing full-time SRJC students with a minimum 2.5 GPA.

More information on Doyle Scholarships is available at scholarships.santarosa.edu.

For more details on financial aid, contact the SRJC Student Financial Services Office at scholarships.santarosa.edu.