MCCS President Praises Gov. Mills’ Proposal to Continue Maine Free College Scholarship for Class of 2026 and Beyond

AUGUSTA, ME - Maine Community College System President David Daigler said he was "thrilled" that Governor Janet Mills is proposing ongoing support for the Maine Free College Scholarship.

"I'm thrilled Governor Mills is fighting to keep the Maine Free College Scholarship going for the Class of 2026 and beyond," Daigler said after the governor's State of the State address Tuesday night.

"The scholarship is an incredible investment in Maine's economy because today's community college students are tomorrow's skilled workers that we all rely on for a productive and growing state economy. Maine's young high school graduates deserve the opportunity to put in the work, study hard, and get a strong start without struggling to pay tuition as they get the technical skills they need for good-paying jobs right here in Maine or to transfer to a four-year college," Daigler said. "We thank the governor for leading this effort to offer the scholarship to this year's graduating high school seniors and beyond. It will make a huge difference and bring more skilled workers into Maine's workforce faster."

The scholarship allowed Tori Wile of Gray, who attended the Governor's address, to pursue her dreams of learning a trade. "I didn't want a sit-down job, and I knew the community colleges had all the trades," said Wile, who earned an associate degree in building construction technology from Central Maine Community College (CMCC) last year and now works in the facilities department. "I don't think I could have afforded college at all, or at least as easily."

Wile, a lifelong Scout who earned the Bronze Star and is an Eagle Scout, is assistant scout master for a Lewiston troop and is currently pursuing a second CMCC degree in facilities management.

The Maine Free College Scholarship is a last-dollar scholarship that pays 100% of tuition and fees for recent high school graduates in qualifying years. Currently, graduates (or equivalent) from the high school classes of 2023, 2024, and 2025 qualify for the scholarship. Qualifying students must pursue a degree or certificate, fill out the FAFSA, and accept any state or federal aid before Maine Free College Scholarship funds are applied.

Since the scholarship began in fall 2022, 22,327 Free College Scholarship-eligible students have enrolled. Of those, more than a third are still enrolled, more than 3,600 have graduated, and almost 1,800 have transferred to a University of Maine System (UMS) university of another four-year college to continue their education.

A recent UMS transfer report said "MCCS transfers show the strongest outcomes: in Fall 2024 they passed 88.5% of attempted credits, the highest among transfer groups and higher than first-time students …. MCCS transfers also post the highest return rate (75.8%) than other transfer groups and first-time students."

Full-time tuition and fees for a Maine resident at the community colleges is $4,156 a year, the lowest of any New England college. After FAFSA-related state and federal aid is applied, the average annual Maine Free College Scholarship amount is $1,600 per student.