Free Degree Promise Extended to Current 10th and 11th Graders
McClure Foundation extends fast-tracked, debt-free associate degree pathways to Vermont’s high school classes of 2027 and 2028.
The J. Warren and Lois McClure Foundation and the Community College of Vermont (CCV) today announced an extension of the Free Degree Promise to include Vermont’s high school classes of 2027 and 2028. The extension ensures that current 10th and 11th graders will have the opportunity to complete a free CCV associate degree of their choosing just one year after high school graduation, a benefit first offered to the classes of 2023 through 2026.
Since launching in 2022, the Free Degree Promise has helped hundreds of young Vermonters pursue fast-tracked, debt-free degrees. Students on this pathway are graduating at twice the rate and in half the time as community college students nationally.
As a junior at Richford Jr./Sr. High School, Donovan Arnold was ready for a challenge. Through Vermont’s Early College program at CCV, he spent his senior year completing 28 college credits, earning a bookkeeping certificate, and gaining work experience through a 100-hour internship with the finance team at his local Federally Qualified Health Center — all before graduating high school. With tuition support, stipends, and career advising from the Free Degree Promise, Donovan continued at CCV and earned his debt-free degree in accounting just one year after finishing high school.
“The thing I’m most excited about is being able to get into what I want to do at a young age,” said Arnold. “That feels like a really big win for me.”
At a time when Vermont’s high school graduation and college continuation rates are the lowest in New England, particularly for underrepresented student groups, the Free Degree Promise builds on the success of state programs like Early College and the 802 Opportunity Grant to help young Vermonters complete high school and continue their career-connected learning.
“This is great news for Vermont students and families,” said CCV President Joyce Judy. “Extending the Free Degree Promise will keep more doors to opportunity open for young Vermonters while giving us a longer runway to refine the model, analyze what’s working, and share what we’re learning with the state.”
The state’s longtime Early College program lets eligible high school seniors take a full year of college courses tuition-free while completing their high school diploma. Students who successfully complete Early College at CCV can then continue through the Free Degree Promise, earning their free associate degree within five additional semesters and with the benefit of enhanced advising and stipends for expenses like transportation and textbooks.
Since the program’s launch, CCV has seen triple the number of low-income students enrolling in Early College and triple the number of Early College completers persisting near full-time toward a CCV degree.
“Accelerated degree pathways like the Free Degree Promise are a workforce strategy that is truly a win for young Vermonters and for Vermont,” said Vermont Department of Labor Commissioner Kendal Smith.
This past June, more than 70 Free Degree Promise graduates — representing 13 Vermont counties and including nearly half who were first-generation college students — earned their associate degrees, on average just one year after high school. Twenty-five percent earned degrees in health care and behavioral science, 14% in business, and 17% in STEM, environmental science, and information technology.
“We see that success and want to keep it going,” said Carolyn Weir, Executive Director of the McClure Foundation, an affiliate of the Vermont Community Foundation. “Free Degree Promise graduates like Blake and Chelsea show what’s possible when we invest in young people: Blake is planning to start his own HVAC business with his business degree, and Chelsea is pursuing teacher licensure through UVM.”
For Abbie Violette of Barre, the Free Degree Promise opened doors she hadn’t thought possible. “I struggled in the traditional high school setting, and I didn’t get the best grades,” said Violette. “When I made the decision to go to CCV, it was amazing. I was on the Dean’s list studying health sciences. Now that I have my associate degree, I am on track to get my Bachelor's of Science in Nursing at Vermont State University. Choosing this program was the best decision I made.”
Learn more about the Free Degree Promise and how to enroll at: https://ccv.edu/freedegree/
Read about the early impacts of the Free Degree Promise: https://mcclurevt.org/freedegree/
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The McClure Foundation is a 30-year affiliate of the Vermont Community Foundation that works to close the opportunity gap and strengthen rural communities by expanding access to postsecondary education and training opportunities, particularly for young Vermonters. Its work is guided by curiosity about what fosters hope among young people that they can imagine — and build — bright futures in Vermont. Visit https://mcclurevt.org/freedegree/ to learn more.
CCV is Vermont’s second-largest college, serving more than 10,000 students each year. With 12 locations and extensive online learning options, students don’t have to travel far from their communities to access degree and certificate programs, workforce, secondary and continuing education opportunities, and academic and veterans support services.