Kellogg Foundation helps students complete degrees

JACKSON, Miss (WDAM) - Students who left college at least two years ago without graduating can apply for a grant to help return to the classroom to complete their degrees.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation recently awarded the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning $1.3 million to fund Mississippi’s “Complete 2 Compete Tuition Assistance Grant” through 2023.

Funds can be used at any of Mississippi’s public universities or community colleges.

The C2C program provides one-on-one support for adult learners who have earned college credits, but not a degree.

Qualifying returning students will receive a $1,000 grant that can be renewed every semester.

The award helps pay for any coursework needed to graduate and can help repay prior debt to allow students the opportunity to return and graduate.

C2C estimated that more than 200,000 prior students who qualify for the program.

Since May, the C2C program has reached out to former students through postcards as well as internet and social media ads.

Over the summer, C2C administrators processed more than 2,700 applications and helped at least 620 former students enroll in one of Mississippi’s 15 community colleges and eight universities, as well as its medical center.

In a four-month span, an additional 208 returning students were added to the already 2,400 who have graduated since the program launched in 2017.