Montgomery County Community College wants to help unemployed residents get back on their feet by offering tuition assistance through its new Montco Recovery Tuition Assistance Program.

“These are challenging times resulting in many people losing their jobs due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Victoria Bastecki-Perez, MCCC President. “Montco wants to help residents who qualify recover by offering tuition waivers so they can affordably earn a credential or degree and obtain employment.”

Assistance through the Montco Recovery Tuition Assistance Program is available to any Montgomery County residents who suffered full- or part-time employment loss on or after Mar. 6, 2020.

To qualify, applicants will need to enroll in and attend a degree, certificate or financial-aid eligible non-credit program during the spring 2021 semester at MCCC.

In addition, applicants will be required to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and any grants or scholarships awarded will be applied before the tuition assistance.

The tuition assistance is available for both part-time and full-time students and is based on the number of credits taken.

• Part-time students taking 3 to 6 credits will receive a maximum waiver of 3 credits.
• Part-time students taking 7 to 11 credits will receive a maximum waiver of 6 credits.
• Full-time students taking 12 credits or more will receive a maximum waiver of 9 credits.
• Students taking financial aid-eligible, non-credit courses will receive a maximum tuition credit of $1,300 (a 9-credit equivalent).

To save students a substantial amount of time and additional costs in completing their education, MCCC can also conduct a Prior Learning Assessment of each applicant to determine whether any courses can be waived or credits applied for prior work experience.

“We applaud the Community College for stepping up and offering this important educational assistance to Montgomery County residents who need it most,” said Dr. Valerie A. Arkoosh, Chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.

“I encourage anyone who has lost their job during the pandemic to take a look into this new program. Through robust training and resources, people experiencing unemployment now have another option to get their career back on track,” said Arkoosh. 

Learn more about MCCC’s Montco Recovery Tuition Assistance Program here.