More than 80 percent of the jobs of the future will require at least some postsecondary education. Yet, nationally, fewer than eight percent of students from the lowest income households complete a baccalaureate degree within six years of high school graduation.
Today, 30 percent of Montgomery College students rely on federal grants and other financial aid to pay for their education. The average household income of a grant recipient at the College is $27,000 and financial aid applications at the College are up 70 percent in recent years.
Future students are likely to be in greater need of assistance and affordable tuition because the percentage of students on free and/or reduced meals in Montgomery County Public Schools has grown to 34 percent, up from 22 percent in 2005. More troubling still, 40 percent of elementary school students in the county are on free and/or reduced meals. These facts are alarming, especially for a community where a postsecondary education—a degree or certificate—is all but a requirement for economic success.
That’s why the leaders at Montgomery College are committed to ensuring tuition remains as low as possible for students and that financial aid remains accessible for students who qualify. In addition, the Montgomery College Foundation is in the midst of a $30 million campaign to help as many students as possible afford postsecondary education through scholarship funds raised from private businesses as well as individual donors.
To give a tax-deductible gift to foster the success of a Montgomery College student, please visit our website at https://appserv.montgomerycollege.edu/onlinegiving/.