To be eligible, you must:
If you do not have a high school diploma or equivalent, visit Michigan.gov/LearnMoreEarnMore to get started.
Learn more at About Michigan Reconnect.
Guest or visiting students are not eligible for this award because you must be pursuing your associate degree or certificate at the eligible institution and maintain continuous enrollment at the eligible institution to continue receiving the award. See What are the requirements for keeping this scholarship?
You must already have a high school diploma, high school equivalency (ex: GED), or certificate of completion in order to apply and be accepted for Reconnect. If you do not have any of these, visit Michigan.gov/LearnMoreEarnMore to get started.
Yes. You must be 25 and older.
For a limited time only, the Michigan Reconnect scholarship was available for students age 21 and older. That application ended on December 31, 2024.
While the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) requires that you have been a Michigan resident since July 1 of the preceding year, Michigan Reconnect allows you to be considered a Michigan resident for at least one year by the start of classes of the semester.
If you are not able to receive your award due to an issue with your residency and you believe this is incorrect, please contact the community college you attend or plan to attend as soon as possible and ask them about how you can verify this information.
If you are 21-24 and completed an application by December 31, 2024 you must apply and enroll in a community or Tribal college no later than summer semester 2025. If you don’t enroll, your application will expire, and you won’t be Reconnect eligible until age 25.
Yes. If you completed high school outside the U.S. and can get a copy of your transcript, you should be eligible to apply to community college. Contact the community college you plan to attend to see if there is anything you need to do for your transcript to be accepted. Our List of Colleges page has dedicated contact information for each of Michigan’s public community colleges if you’re not sure who to call or email.
Costs Reconnect Covers
Reconnect will ensure that when you get your semester bill from the community college, the following items will be free to you:
Reconnect is a last-dollar program, which means that any Pell grant funds you receive are applied to your tuition and fees bill first, with Reconnect paying what’s not covered by Pell. If you don’t qualify for a Pell grant, Reconnect will pay the full cost of tuition, mandatory fees, and contact hours.
Costs Reconnect Does Not Cover
Even as a Reconnect student, you will be responsible for the following items.
When applying to a college, ask them to estimate these costs that are not covered by Reconnect to avoid any surprises when you receive your first bill.
Even if you are currently enrolled in an associate degree or skill certificate program, if you meet all the eligibility requirements and have not completed your associate degree yet, you are eligible to apply for this scholarship.
If it’s been a year or more since your Michigan Reconnect application was accepted, you don’t need to apply again, but you must:
Currently meet the qualifications of the scholarship program:
Complete the three steps required to participate in the scholarship program:
Visit our College Checklist for some assistance on how to complete each of these steps if you need help doing so.
Please note that filing your FAFSA requires a social security number or SSN-like number. If you do not have one, then you will not be able to file your FAFSA and will not be eligible to participate in the scholarship program.
Once your FAFSA is filed, if your FAFSA requires federal verification for issues related to eligibility for Reconnect (e.g., residency, high school completion) and you believe this is incorrect or have questions about this, please contact the community college you attend or plan to attend as soon as possible and ask them about how you can verify this information.
Even if you completed a certificate program in the past, if you meet all the eligibility requirements and have not completed your associate degree yet, you are eligible to apply for this scholarship.
If you have earned an associate or bachelor's degree– whether you completed it in or outside of the U.S., you are not eligible to apply for Michigan Reconnect.
You may still be eligible for other financial aid, however. Complete the FAFSA to get started or talk to your college's financial aid office.
If you completed your college degree outside of the U.S., and, upon having it evaluated, it is determined it is not equivalent to an U.S. associate degree, you may be eligible for Reconnect. Speak with your college or local Michigan Works! Agency to find out where you can have your credential evaluated.
Yes! You are still eligible for Michigan Reconnect. While loan default may prevent you from receiving federal financial aid (such as Pell Grants or federal loans), they do not impact your eligibility for Michigan Reconnect. As long as you meet the program’s age, residency, and educational requirements, and you can complete a FAFSA each academic year (you do not need to qualify for aid from it), you can use the scholarship. It is still worth it, however, to try to get out of default while you're in school to access federal financial aid you might otherwise be eligible for: contact your loan servicer to see what options might be available for loan rehabilitation.
Yes! You are still eligible for Michigan Reconnect. While an SAP issue may prevent you from receiving federal financial aid (such as Pell Grants or federal loans), it will not impact your eligibility for Michigan Reconnect. As long as you meet the program’s age, residency, and educational requirements, and you can complete a FAFSA each academic year (you do not need to qualify for aid from it), you can use the scholarship. Once you begin using the scholarship, you must maintain a 2.0 GPA in classes taken as a Reconnector. It is still worth it, however, to try to appeal your SAP status while you're in school to access federal financial aid you might otherwise be eligible for: contact an academic advisor at your institution to see what options might be available for an SAP appeal now or in the future.
