WPS and QCC Forge Partnership to Guarantee College Acceptance
Every year, thousands of high school graduates cannot afford the high cost of college tuition. Despite the increasing belief that college isn’t the only career path available, a survey by Lumina Foundation and Gallup says 70% of 14,000 college graduates, including 5,000 students who had dropped out of college, agreed that bachelor’s degrees were useful for getting jobs. And despite the wide array of scholarships available by various schools, they remain inaccessible for the majority of high school graduates.
Worcester is a college town with successful artists and engineers, but it’s also a city where teenagers take up part-time jobs to sustain their families, who can barely stay awake throughout the day.
This is why Worcester Public Schools (WPS) and Quinsigamond Community College (QCC) have ensured QCC college acceptance to all WPS graduates, beginning with the Class of 2025. Through the state’s MassEducate program, qualifying students will be able to attend QCC for free, further easing financial burdens on families.
By providing an affordable and fair path to higher education, the alliance hopes to enable scholars to pursue meaningful futures. Currently serving 24,778 students, WPS anticipates graduating 1,894 on average this year. Serving the various educational needs of Central Massachusetts, QCC offers top-notch, reasonably priced higher education in Worcester County. Hencewhy, the project hopes to give Worester a more straightforward and stress-free route to higher education by streamlining the college admissions process.
WPS plans on transforming its general college attendance and future student success in other ways too. One, by expanding their Early College, Chapter 74, Upward bound, and Innovation Career Pathways (ICP) programs where students can attend classes that prepare for college for no cost.
It’s a good step toward creating real opportunities for their youth to succeed and I hope they continue to promote these introductions to adulthood.