Promise College News

Congratulations to Promise scholars who have graduated or will graduate during any semester of 2025-2026. We are proud of all of the work you've done!

If you haven't already, make sure that you have applied for graduation with your college. We would love to see photos of our graduates, and we'll be watching your college's social media.

We are working on software to help local employers find Promise scholars and graduates. Please complete the Promise graduate form so that we know if you would like to be included or not.

Many Promise scholars will be continuing at Baker, Muskegon Community College, or NUVO. We are happy to continue supporting your journey to earn a high-quality degree or credential.

For these students, it's time to renew your Promise award. You must do this once per academic year. The Promise academic year starts over in fall 2026.

You also must complete a 2026-2027 FAFSA to use the Promise, federal, and state aid. You can check your FAFSA status in your college portal or on the FAFSA website.

Some Promise scholars will transfer colleges. This happens for many reasons including:

• completing their current certificate or degree and wanting to continue for a higher degree.
• the college they have been attending wasn't a good fit.
• college costs were higher than they expected.
• life events mean moving back.

Whatever your reason to transfer, we are happy to continue supporting your journey to earn a high-quality degree or credential.

• Want to use your Promise for a bachelor's degree? Does Baker have the associate's that fits your career path? We can help with costs at Baker College. Use the button below to accept your Promise as a Baker student.
• Transfering to MCC from other college? Use the button below to renew your Promise as an MCC student.
• If you want your cosmetology license before finishing your degree, use the button below to renew your Promise as a NUVO student.
• Are you planning to attend a college not on our list, you can change your status to guest student if you are considering taking a class at MCC as a guest student (no FAFSA required by Promise for guest students).

You also must complete a 2026-2027 FAFSA to use the Promise, federal, and state aid. You can check your FAFSA status in your college portal or on the FAFSA website.

It's time to register for fall semester. Check you college portal for your registration dates. Remember, the earlier you register for classes, the more likely you are to get into the section you want to attend.

If you are a Promise guest student (attending elsewhere, but would like to take a few classes at MCC to save time and money), be sure you have accepted your Promise award as a guest student for summer 2026. You must also complete the MCC guest process each semester you plan to be a guest student.

If this is your last semester at your current college, make sure you have applied for graduation. We advise that you also check in with your college counselor/advisor to be sure you have met all requirements.

College students should meet with a college counselor or advisor to be sure that the classes they take will count toward their degree. Both college counselors and college advisors can help plan classes and check that courses will transfer later if needed.

There are Student Success staff members at each of our partners to help Promise students navigate college-going. At some partners, these are people you are already working with, like an advisor. At others, there are dedicated staff that you can check in with if you have questions.

Each partner has staff that can answer questions about your financial aid (money that others are paying). The Financial Aid department will have the most up-to-date information about what money is coming in from other places to help pay for college (like TIP, Promise, or the Michigan Achievement Award). If you think you are missing a scholarship or grant, check with Financial Aid.

I'm available to work with any potential Promise student. You can schedule to meet online or in person at the Muskegon Area Career Tech Center if you need help. I also attend many college-going events. If you haven't accepted or renewed your award for 2025-2026, you can do that here (only needed once per academic year).