DEARBORN — Henry Ford College and Eastern Michigan University have joined forces to expand on the Futures for Frontliners program.

The program will expand on the program put forward by Governor Whitmer to provide tuition-free education for essential workers looking to get their associate’s degree from a local community college.

With the new partnership, essential workers can then receive a scholarship to Eastern Michigan University for a bachelor’s degree upon completion of their associate’s degree program at Henry Ford College.

“This is great news for the hundreds of thousands of brave men and women who have been serving on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s good news for our economy,” Whitmer said. “From the beginning, creating paths to prosperity for more Michiganders has been a top priority for my administration. I’m proud that our state has developed a way to give back to the Michiganders who have been working around the clock to protect us and I am grateful for this partnership between Henry Ford College and Eastern Michigan University to help more people get on a path to opportunity.”

Currently, the college and university have 40 different agreements in place.

“Our frontline workers put themselves at risk to serve Michigan citizens during a pandemic,” HFC President Russ Kavalhuna said. “Now we are putting them at the forefront by supporting their futures. This new partnership between Henry Ford College and Eastern Michigan University is an exciting opportunity for frontliners to extend their education even further. It will maximize their investment in themselves as they seek new or advanced careers.”

The scholarship opportunities include HFC Frontliners graduates who enroll at EMU and are Pell eligible. They will receive an EMU Frontliner Scholarship to cover their remaining tuition balance. A Pell Grant plus the EMU Frontliner Scholarship is equal to free tuition. The scholarship will cover 12 credits of tuition for five consecutive semesters of enrollment at EMU. HFC Frontliners graduates who enroll at EMU and are not Pell eligible will receive an EMU Frontliner scholarship of $5,000 that will be split into increments of $1,250 for each of four consecutive semesters of full time enrollment at 12 or more credit hours per semester.

“Michigan’s frontline workers have worked tirelessly around the clock for months to maintain essential services and to keep our communities safe,” EMU President James Smith said. “This new scholarship initiative is an extension of the excellent collaboration we have had with Henry Ford College for many years and provides a new opportunity to reward frontline workers by creating an affordable path to a college degree.”

The deadline to apply is Dec. 31.