Free Tuition Expanded in Chatham County

Chatham County has expanded eligibility for assistance to help residents attend college tuition and fee-free. 

Adults in Chatham County who graduated from high school two years ago or more are encouraged to apply for the new Central Carolina Promise Plus scholarship program. Application is required to receive the assistance. 

This is an expansion on existing assistance available for eligible recent high-school graduates attending CCCC, funded by Chatham, Lee, and Harnett counties for their residents. Chatham is the first of three counties to broaden eligibility to include less-recent high school graduates.

“Everyone must follow their own path in life, and sometimes that means we are better positioned to pursue higher education later in our journey,” said Chatham County Board of Commissioners Chair Amanda Robertson. 

Mark Hall, CCCC’s Chatham County Provost, said that local employers and economic development partners have also shared excitement about the expansion. 

“Their future workforce is going to be trained without any financial obstacles in the way,” he said. 

The new Central Carolina Promise Plus and existing Central Carolina Promise/K14 are both “last dollar” programs, which means county funds cover any gaps in the cost of in-state tuition left once federal financial aid and other assistance have been granted. Currently the funds cannot be used to pay for textbooks or other course materials. 

To be eligible for the Central Carolina Promise Plus program applicants must: 

• Be a resident of Chatham County
• Have graduated from high school more than two years prior
• Fulfill all steps of the application process for the Promise Plus program

Priority will be given to applicants who do not yet have a college degree, but others are also encouraged to apply. College graduates who need to be retrained or need to get a new credential to do the work they want to do, are also likely to qualify for free tuition and fees.

For more information, visit www.cccc.edu/promiseplus. For additional assistance email promisek14@cccc.edu, call (919) 718-7542, or text (919) 902-5899.