By Zachary Horner, Chatham News + Record Staff

Photo via CCCC

Mark Hall said he expected a good number of applicants for the first year of Central Carolina Community College’s Chatham Promise program.

But the 170 applications he’s received so far, all from recent graduates of Chatham County public high schools, surprised him.

“I’m a little bit surprised that there are this many this early, but I’m also happy to see that,” said Hall, the college’s provost. “That means there are that many students wanting to take this route in their education.”

The deadline to apply for the program is July 19, just under a month away, but the college has already seen early excitement for it. Chatham Promise will provide free tuition and fees for Chatham County public, private and homeschooled high school graduates who completed the Career and College Promise program — with exceptions for 2019 and 2020 grads — and complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and CCCC Foundation scholarship application.

Hall said the college held an open house/registration event last week that was slated to go from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“People showed up at 9 o’clock, and I helped the last student at 5:30,” he said.

The Chatham County government is contributing $200,000 for the program’s first year as part of its fiscal year 2019-20 budget. County Manager Dan LaMontagne praised the program in his budget message, writing that “by extending a college education to those who may not have been able to obtain it,” Chatham Promise “will provide equitable access to a high quality education for all.”

To learn more about the program and eligibility requirements, visit cccc.edu/promise/chatham. CCCC has similar programs for its campuses in Lee and Harnett counties as well.

Hall said “it’s not too late” for prospective applicants, but encouraged them to not wait.

“I think we’re getting a lot of response this year,” he said. “Get it in there now so you can get the courses that you need so you can graduate on time and move on to the next phase in your life.”

 

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The Chatham News + Record is Chatham County’s source for local news and journalism. The Chatham News, established in 1924, and the Chatham Record, founded in 1878, have come together to better serve the Chatham community as the Chatham News + Record. Covering news, business, sports and more, the News + Record is working to strengthen community ties through compelling coverage of life in Chatham County.

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