PROVIDENCE, R.I. — More than 1,100 students have signed up for a program that offers two years of free tuition at the Community College of Rhode Island.
A college spokeswoman tells The Providence Journal (https://bit.ly/2xusMPe ) that several more students are finalizing their financial aid.
The $2.8 million Rhode Island Promise program pushed by Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo narrowly made it into the budget approved by state lawmakers Aug. 9.
Raimondo’s original plan would also have covered students in their last two years at the state’s two four-year public colleges.
Students who qualify for the program must remain in school for two years and hold at least a 2.5 GPA.
College officials previously said applications for full-time, first-generation students have increased more than 25 percent compared to last year.
