OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Saving money, getting ahead, but all while you are still in high school?
With the help of ARPA funding, MCC announced it will waive tuition for all Nebraska high schoolers.
"I feel like we lost some time and maybe some educational training to a pandemic, you know, a couple years ago, and so I think this is just our way to help those high school students kind of get back on track a little bit," Tom McDonnell, vice president of academic affairs at MCC, said.
It starts this school year, will be available through the 2024-2025 school calender and applies to home school students as well.
Eligibility does depend on your location. If your district falls in Dodge, Douglas, Washington or Sarpy Counties and offers credits through MCC, you're eligible for the tuition waiver but any high school student in Nebraska can also get the waiver. They just have to enroll in classes online or at one of the campuses, ultimately saving money.
"The cost of tuition at MCC is around $5,500 for a two-year degree," McDonnell said.
Right now, it is $65 per credit hour at MCC, but if you compare that to a four-year university "we are about a third of the cost of that tuition, so if you are able to get some credits from MCC prior to even enrolling at a four-year institution, that's significant savings as well," McDonnell said.
McDonnell said MCC credits are highly transferrable to other colleges and universities and give students a head start before they even leave high school.
"You do want to check with advisers at that four-year institution that you are thinking of attending and just making sure that you are taking the right courses that transfer into the major and apply directly to a degree," he said.
McDonnell expects about a 20% increase in enrollment because of this waiver.
Check with your high school to see if they are offering dual credit options through MCC. And for more information about specific program requirements visit mccneb.edu.
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