DETROIT— High school graduates in Detroit just got a new affordable option for higher education.
City of Detroit high school graduates will be getting free tuition to Wayne State University.
The announcement was made Wednesday with Wayne State President M. Roy Wilson, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and more. It will include the class of 2020.
According to the university, the scholarship will be called the "Heart of Detroit Tuition Pledge."
“This is a tremendous day for Wayne State and for Detroit students,” Wilson said in a release. “This initiative aligns perfectly with many of our institutional values. Opportunity, accessibility and affordability are all pillars of the high quality education we provide, and the Heart of Detroit Tuition Pledge delivers on all those values. With the resources and opportunities on campus and the exciting resurgence in Detroit, it’s never been a better time to be a Warrior.”
It is open to any student in the city of Detroit who graduates from a Detroit high school and is accepted to Wayne State University.
To get the scholarship, a student must meet the following criteria:
- Live in the city of Detroit and have graduated from high school or have graduated from any Detroit high school (public, private, charter, parochial, or home school program) in 2020 or after.
- Join RaiseMe, a Wayne State partner, which allows high school students to log their achievements and activities to earn micro-scholarships.
- Receive admission to Wayne State University as a first-time, full-time freshman in fall 2020 or after.
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by March 1, for the following fall.
"This pledge is Wayne State's pledge to you, to the city of Detroit, and to Detroiters all over," WSU Provost Keith Whitfield said during the announcement. "It's our commitment to make Wayne State University affordable and accessible to anyone willing to work hard, to ask questions, and to explore all that our great university has to offer."
"Wayne State's commitment today is such an incredible gift, an incredible acknowledgement to the talent that is within this city, to ensure everyone has a real path to this opportunity," Whitmer said during the announcement.
This story was originally published on WXYZ.
