Success Story: Community College Guarantee enrollment soars

November 20, 2025

At a time of year that’s all about gratitude, more than 700 NMC students and their families no doubt have the same thing on their mind: the Community College Guarantee.

Fall semester enrollment rose 47 percent, to 729 students, in the second year of the CCG scholarship, which offers free tuition to high school graduates with no limits on income eligibility. They were awarded $1.41 million to cover NMC tuition. That amount jumped almost 60 percent over the $890,000 awarded in fall 2024.

“It was a relief knowing college would be a lot cheaper. It allows me to save money to go up to (Michigan) Tech,” said Luke Bobrowski (above), a CCG recipient and 2024 graduate of St. Francis High School. He will complete his associate degree at NMC this December, and transfer to MTU next year to pursue a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering technology.

“NMC has a really good transfer program with Tech,” he said.

2025 Traverse City Central High School graduate Sam Roeters had been accepted to Northern Michigan University and thought she wanted to attend a large university. After she heard about the CCG, she changed her mind. Her first semester has confirmed she made the right call.

“I’m quite glad that I decided to go to NMC,” Roeters said. “The ratio of students to professors is so much lower.”

Bobrowski found attending NMC doesn’t mean sacrificing a well-rounded college experience. Through participating on an Esports team, playing Frisbee golf on campus, and using the NMC Fitness Center and music studios, Bobrowski described NMC as a community and fun.

Bobrowski also dual-enrolled at NMC while a senior at St. Francis, which allowed him to get through his associate degree coursework quicker.

“I actually cut off a whole semester, and saved a bunch of money,” he said.

Roeters plans to join a club next semester. 

“Everybody’s pretty friendly,” she said. “I really do love what I’ve experienced at NMC so far.”

Part of Michigan’s Sixty by 30 initiative to increase the education level of the state’s workforce, the Community College Guarantee was first offered to the high school class of 2024, but not until July 2024, after many students had already made college plans. The CCG offers free in-district tuition. Those who live outside NMC’s district (Grand Traverse County) can still get most of their tuition paid by applying other scholarships and grants toward the difference between out of district and in-district rates.

Students have 15 months after high school graduation to initially enroll. Find out more at nmc.edu/guarantee.