Two initiatives make college education more affordable at Northwestern Michigan College

Northwestern Michigan College offers its students several ways to keep more money in their pockets while also receiving a college education. Two of these initiatives are the NMC Commitment Scholarship and the Community College Guarantee at NMC. This year, the college is expanding eligibility requirements of the NMC Commitment Scholarship to include even more students.

The NMC Commitment Scholarship, which was established in 1993, was previously awarded to first-generation college students from only 18 regional public high schools. Students had to be nominated by a guidance counselor and only three students per school could be nominated. Now, expanded eligibility requirements will let homeschool, charter, and private school students be in the running for the scholarship. Beginning with the Class of 2028, first generation college students from schools in six counties will be eligible, and can self-nominate instead of being nominated by a guidance counselor.

Students who are awarded the NMC Commitment Scholarship will receive $2,000 per year for up to three years. They must maintain a 2.0 GPA in high school and attend two preparatory events before the school year begins at Northwestern Michigan College.

According to an article on Northwestern Michigan College’s website about the NMC Commitment Scholarship, one student who has received the scholarship, Kai Collins, was quoted as saying of his experience, “Being a Commitment scholar felt like I was being treated as an adult. I had to learn management skills. It’s made me a lot more confident in my college journey. I know I can use opportunities I’m given to their fullest.”

Collins was able to combine his NMC Commitment Scholarship with a dual-enrollment opportunity to earn a UAS certificate from the college. He’s now a mechanical engineering major at Michigan Technological University and has earned a summer internship at Milwaukee Tool.

Gillian Lovett is another student who has earned the NMC Commitment Scholarship, putting a college education in reach for her. She said of earning the scholarship, “I was definitely pretty surprised. College wasn’t on my radar yet. I felt pretty lucky to be nominated, and I felt grateful that I did have an opportunity ahead of me to go to school and not worry about the money.”

The Community College Guarantee at NMC provides students with free tuition to Northwestern Michigan College provided that they reside within Grand Traverse County. Students from outside Grand Traverse County may also receive significantly reduced tuition from the Community College Guarantee. Students must use the funding within 15 months of their high school graduation. 

In a separate article on Northwestern Michigan College’s website that discusses the Community College Guarantee at NMC, Ciara McCullough, a guidance counselor at Kalkaska High School, was quoted as saying, “We definitely get the word out. We just want kids to take advantage of it because it’s such a great deal.”

McCullough noted that more than half of the 11th and 12th grade students at Kalkaska High School attend the regional Career Tech Center during high school, which then leads to students attending Northwestern Michigan College for programs like Construction Technology, Automotive Technology, Engineering Technology, surveying, renewable energy, and welding.

She said, “Going into the trades is very popular with our kids (and) NMC offers a lot of (skilled) trades programs.”

The Community College Guarantee at NMC was first awarded during the 2024-2025 school year, when it saved families $1.04 million. In the 2025-2026 school year, that number rose to $1.68 million. 

For more information about Northwestern Michigan College, visit the school’s website.