DETROIT — Governor Whitmer recently visited Wayne State University and joined university officials to announce the new Wayne State Guarantee, which offers Michigan students with family incomes of $70,000 or less a tuition-free degree with zero out-of-pocket expenses.

The median household income in 2021, according to Wayne State, was $64,488.

The Wayne State Guarantee will begin in the fall semester of 2023. It will cover the cost of tuition entirely along with standard fees. This was successfully implemented because of the bipartisan Michigan Achievement Scholarship program Whitmer signed into law last year. This program saves students up to $8,250 on their associate degree at a community college, up to $20,000 at a private college or up to $27,500 at a public university.

Wayne State students pay $14,925 annually for tuition and fees, according to reports from the Michigan Association of State Universities.

“Students in Michigan deserve the opportunity to receive quality, affordable higher education,” Whitmer said in a press release. “I’m proud to work with universities across the state to lower the cost of college for Michigan students and help them gain the skills to be prepared for the new and expanding businesses coming to the state. Last year, almost half of first-year students at Wayne State University had zero out-of-pocket expenses. With this initiative, the university is offering that opportunity to even more students.”

According to Wayne State, 46 percent of first-year students accumulated zero “out-of-pocket expenses” because of the university’s tuition pledge programs. It was reported that The Wayne State Guarantee will increase that percentage to 50 percent, helping even more students attending the university.

“When we invest in students, we invest in Michigan’s future,” said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II in a press release. “The Wayne State Guarantee will be a game changer for Michigan students, helping them get a high-quality education with zero out-of-pocket expenses. The best path to a higher quality of life and higher income is getting a degree. The Guarantee will help us grow economic opportunity for Michiganders and achieve our Sixty by 30 goal to get 60 percent of Michiganders a postsecondary degree or certificate by 2030. Governor Whitmer and I will keep working hard to help every student achieve their dreams and get a great education.”

“Wayne State has a long history of being a university of access and opportunity, and now our commitment to making a college degree affordable comes in the form of a guarantee,” said Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson. “We are excited to expand the opportunity for an affordable, world-class education to more Warriors. We are grateful for Governor Whitmer’s leadership in establishing the Michigan Achievement Scholarship and paving the way for Michiganders to pursue tuition-free higher education.”

“Too many students and their families don’t think college is an option because they think it’s too expensive,” said Wayne State University Provost Mark Kornbluh. “However, I think they would be surprised. Wayne State has the lowest tuition of Michigan’s three major research universities, robust financial aid programs and we work very hard to make attending one of the top research universities in the country extremely affordable.”

The percentage of students who qualify for free tuition possibly could reach 60 percent of incoming students with this new program, Kornbluh said after the announcement.

Among the students who plan to take advantage of the Wayne State Guarantee is Dearborn Heights resident Zianab Wehbi, a senior at Crestwood High School who has been admitted to Wayne State for the fall semester. She said she felt a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders when she heard about the program because her dad has worked his entire life for her and the rest of her family.

“It’s an amazing feeling to be able to go to my dad and say, ‘Hi Babba. I don’t have to pay for college,'” Wehbi told The Detroit News. She drew laughs as she spoke before the crowd. “It’s sort of in a way repays my dad for all that he has done for us.”

Who’s eligible for the Wayne State Guarantee:

• Incoming first-year undergraduates who are Michigan residents admitted for fall 2023 as a first-time undergraduate in a degree-program.
• Household income of $70,000 or less and assets of $50,000 or less as confirmed on the 2023-24 FAFSA.
• Michigan residents eligible for the Pell grant in 2023-24 are also eligible.
• Must be enrolled full time (12 or more credit hours per semester) each semester. Funding is for fall and winter semesters.
• WSU must receive your 2023-24 FAFSA by April 1 and you must be eligible to receive federal student aid.
• Must be admitted to WSU by April 1.

The Wayne State Guarantee covers the full cost of tuition and standard fees (matriculation, registration and student service fees) with a combination of federal, state and other WSU scholarships and grants. The award is renewable for up to four years, with the option to apply for a fifth year if the student is on track to graduate in that year.

Wayne State provides more than $350 million in financial aid annually.

Michigan Achievement Scholarship

To make college more affordable for families, grow Michigan’s talent pool and get the state closer to achieving its Sixty by 30 goal, the governor signed bipartisan legislation creating the Michigan Achievement Scholarship. This legislation builds on Governor Whitmer’s promise in 2019 to pass Michigan Reconnect and Michigan Opportunity Scholarships to reach the state’s Sixty by 30 goal of 60 percent of adults with a skill certificate or college degree by 2030.

The scholarships are renewable for up to three years at a community college and up to five years at a private college or public university, totaling up to:

• $8,250 at a community college
• $20,000 at a private college or university
• $27,500 at a public university