The Michigan Reconnect Program

Michigan Reconnect is a program that provides tuition-free attendance at in-district community colleges for eligible students or offers a discount for those attending out-of-district community colleges. 

Michigan Reconnect launched in 2021 as part of a bipartisan effort to increase the number of working-age adults with a skill certificate or college degree. It is the largest program of its kind in state history. As of early 2025, over 207,000 Michiganders have taken the first step toward earning a degree or credential through Michigan Reconnect. 

Students eligible for Michigan Reconnect must:

• Complete and submit a Reconnect application at Michigan.gov/Reconnect.
• Be 25 years of age or older at the time of application. If a student is ineligible because they are less than 25, they can reapply once they reach their 25th birthday.
• If the student is already enrolled, they must be at least 25 by the start of the semester for funding to be applied for the semester.
• Be a Michigan resident. An applicant must have maintained continuous Michigan residency for at least the immediately preceding year. For Reconnect purposes, the student is considered meeting this criterion if they can verify that they have been a Michigan resident for at least one year by the start of the semester.
• Have graduated from high school with a diploma, a certificate of completion, or a high school equivalency certificate. For Reconnect purposes, self-certification (on the Reconnect scholarship application) of high school completion is acceptable, but should be federally verified if required.
• Not have previously earned an associate or baccalaureate degree.
• If the student has a credential from another country, the credential should be evaluated. If, upon evaluation, it’s determined their credential is not the equivalent of an associate degree, the student could be eligible for the scholarship program.

As long as you meet these requirements, past satisfactory academic progress (SAP) is not required for the Michigan Reconnect program.

Michigan Reconnect covers in-district tuition costs based on contact hours and mandatory fees. It does not cover books, housing, transportation or other educational expenses.

There is no deadline for Michigan Reconnect.

If you are already a student at GRCC, you can still apply for Michigan Reconnect!

1. Apply for Michigan Reconnect.
2. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Planning to attend in Fall 2023? Fill out the FAFSA for 2025/2026.
3. Enroll in classes required for your certificate or associate degree program.

If you have attended GRCC in the past, but have not taken classes recently, you can still apply for Michigan Reconnect.

1. Apply for Michigan Reconnect.
2. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
3. If you have taken classes within the last two years, your account is still active and you can sign up for classes through the Online Center. Forgot your student ID or password? Call the Enrollment Center at (616)-234-3300 for help.
4. Enroll in classes required for your certificate or associate degree program.

If it has been two years or longer since you last attended, you will need to complete the Declaration of Academic Program before you can enroll in classes.

Yes, Michigan Reconnect will cover multiple years of tuition. To maintain eligibility, you must:

• Submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) annually, and complete the verification process (as needed).
• Continue to maintain Michigan residency.
• Maintain continuous enrollment in your program of study by earning at least 12 credits in that program by the end of the academic year.
  • If you do not earn at least 12 credits by the end of the academic year, the institution must report this in MiSSG.
  • If you have experienced a circumstance that impacted your ability to meet the above continuous enrollment requirement, please review the instructions linked here on how to submit a Continuous Enrollment Appeal through the Student Forms website. Appeals should be submitted no earlier than one semester prior to your return, and we must already have a FAFSA on file for the appropriate aid year.
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP), as defined by the institution, or a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 at the institution since becoming a Reconnect participant.
  • If the institution is calculating the student’s cumulative minimum 2.0 GPA, grades earned prior to the student’s participation in Reconnect are not to be considered in the calculation.
  • If the student does not meet SAP and the required GPA minimum, this must be reported in MiSSG as 'SAP and GPA Not Met' and the student will no longer be eligible to continue with the scholarship program.

Additionally:

• New participants who start in a Fall semester must meet the above criteria by the end of the academic year.
• New participants who start on a Winter/Spring or Summer semester must meet this criterion by the end of the following academic year.

More information is available at Michigan.gov.