Reconnect covers mandatory fees that are specified in your college’s course catalog as a condition of enrollment. Unless the fee is charged to all students, it is not considered mandatory. That includes course-specific fees, lab fees, ‘one-time’ fees, etc.
Starting in the 2023-2024 Academic Year, a mandatory fee will be considered as fees that specified in your college’s course catalog as a condition of enrollment and/or are required for you to complete your program of study – that could be online fees and/or lab fees that are required for course enrollment.
Reach out to your college directly if you have questions about what mandatory fees will be covered by Reconnect and if you have any non-mandatory fees that may need to be paid out of pocket or by other sources of funding.
Reconnect only pays for developmental courses offered through a corequisite model, compression model, a modulation model or other approaches that accelerate the process of enabling students who need remediation to raise their skills to college level and complete credit-bearing courses.
Starting August 1, 2023, Reconnect will only pay for developmental courses offered through a corequisite model – that means your college may offer extra support in these initial courses either in a dedicated support course taken in addition to an English or math course or in a special section of an English or math course where the support is built in. These corequisite support models keep students moving forward on their path to graduation while receiving extra attention and practice to refresh their writing or math skills.
If you have questions about this, contact your college to learn more about what this may mean for you and the program of study you’re considering enrolling in.
Yes, but up to a certain point. Reconnect follows the federal aid rule on repeating coursework from when you begin participating in the scholarship and does not consider courses taken prior to becoming a Reconnect participant. If you have questions about this, contact your college to learn more about what this may mean for you and the program of study you’re considering enrolling in.
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.
Great Start to Quality is an online tool to help parents like you find quality childcare in your community. You can search for a childcare provider by location, ages of children served, and hours the provider is open. The website also provides tips to help you find a provider that meets your needs and provides the best environment for your child.
Your community college may also be able to help. Some community colleges have childcare centers on campus while others partner with community-based providers to serve student parents.
Childcare can be expensive, but help is available. Student parents may receive financial assistance from their community college to pay for childcare. Student parents may also be eligible to receive the state childcare subsidy while they are attending classes and studying.
For more information about Michigan’s child care subsidy, visit the Child Development and Care website.
To apply for the Child Development and Care subsidy program, visit MiBridges.
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. That means that any Pell Grant funds and other state tuition-restricted scholarships or awards you receive are applied to your tuition and fees bill first, with Reconnect paying what's not covered. If you don't qualify for a Pell Grant or other state aid, Reconnect will pay the full cost of in-district tuition, mandatory fees, and contact hours.
The following are not to be subtracted from the calculation of the award:
Even as a Reconnect student, you will be responsible for the following items.
When applying to a community college, ask them to estimate these costs that are not covered by Reconnect to avoid any surprises when you receive your bill. Also see Are there other costs of going back to school?
If you're not sure for which community college you're considered 'in-district', visit our List of Colleges to contact the community college nearest you. You can find the email and phone number contact to each college on the same page.
If you are considered 'out-of-district' by a community college, it means that the voters in your county have decided not to pay property taxes to support a community college.
If you do not live within a community college district and must attend a community college where you are considered 'out-of-district' or choose to attend a community college where you are considered 'out-of-district', Reconnect will still cover up to the in-district tuition, mandatory fees, and contact hours. However, you'll be responsible for covering the difference between the college's in-district and out-of-district tuition rates.
Not sure for which community college you're considered 'in-district'? Visit our List of Colleges to contact the community college nearest you. You can find the email and phone number contact to each college on the same page.
When applying to a community college, ask them to estimate these costs that are not covered by Reconnect to avoid any surprises when you receive your first bill. See What costs does Reconnect cover? and Are there other costs of going back to school?
Michigan Reconnect is not the only financial support available to help you get through school.
You may receive additional financial aid from:
