Phoenix launches community college promise program for eligible students

PHOENIX — Hundreds of Phoenix high school students can now get community college paid for through a new local scholarship program.

The Phoenix Promise Program will give scholarships up to 800 eligible low-income students who are enrolled, or plan to enroll, in a Maricopa Community College for a two- or four-year degree, according to a press release.

Officials aim for the program to benefit the most marginalized residents in underrepresented communities, which they added will reinvigorate the economy and community colleges.

The city council approved the new program in early June. The program started this fall semester and will run through the spring 2025 semester. Through a second allocation of ARPA funds, a $5 million budget was authorized.

“The Phoenix Promise Program will ensure that historically marginalized students have access to higher education without worrying about cost and wraparound support,” Reyna Montoya, CEO and Founder of Aliento Education Fund, said in the release.

The Maricopa County Community College District Foundation will also implement outreach programs to enroll recent high school graduates into higher education courses.

“As a daughter of immigrants who heavily emphasized access to education as a pathway to personal and generational resiliency, I want to equip every young person in my district with the opportunity to pursue any level of education that could benefit their future and our entire city,” Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari said in the release.

“More importantly, I’m going to push for an aggressive outreach campaign that reaches young adults who might have lost that opportunity during the pandemic. With this major investment, Phoenix is showing we’re focused on proactively addressing inequalities in education attainment and building strong, sustainable pathways for economic vitality.”

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