Promise College News

• You must renew your Promise scholarship every year by filling out the acceptance form.
• You may have non-renewable scholarships that are covering college costs (like books, housing, or supplies).
• You can look for new scholarships for next year.
• If you are completing your associate's degree this year, you should look for transfer scholarships too.
• Promise scholars who have finished their associate's degree at any institution can receive a scholarship worth up to $2750/ school year to complete their Bachelor's degree at Baker College of Muskegon.

The Muskegon Area Promise covers your tuition and required fees. We offer a second award to cover up to $1000/year for other expenses like books, equipment, school supplies, or other college costs. This second award, called the Promise Stipend, is yours to keep if you don't use it at the college for course fees, books, or supplies through the college bookstore. You'll get a refund after the semester starts. Additional scholarships may help cover remaining costs or provide the same refund benefits.

Many colleges will have already allowed current students to register for next semester classes.

• Be sure to register for courses that will count toward your degree.
• Meet with your college counselor to be sure that the classes you selected will transfer if you plan to switch colleges before completing your bachelor's degree.
• If you are on a waitlist for any classes, check in your registration portal and/or email regularly.

There are some good places to look for new scholarships.

• Check your college's scholarship portal for new opportunities.
• If you are done using the Promise, you can apply for the Community Foundation for Muskegon County scholarships. Applications close February 12, 2026.
• There is a list of scholarships in Xello. (That's right, you can still access your Xello account if you graduated in 2018 or after. Let me know if you need help.)
• If you are transferring, check your new college's scholarship site or portal.
• The State of Michigan now has a scholarship search. Check out the counties where you live and where you will attend next year.

Why this matters: The reason you transfer might help you decide where to go next.

Whether you are transferring because you will have completed your degree or because it wasn't a good fit, make sure to consider what you liked about or felt was missing from your current school. Use this, along with the degree you want, to help you select where you will transfer next.

Quick tips:

• Meet with your college counselor/advisor about what to expect when transfering.
• Visit campuses that you might want to attend.
• Talk to students at potential colleges who are in the same program you want to be in.

Pro tip: Be sure your next choice has a degree that will help you in your future career and find out which classes transfer from your current school.

Why this matters: Most colleges require students to apply for graduation. This signals college staff to review your program progress to be sure you have met all of the requirements.

Quick tips:

• Check your program progress in your college student portal.
• Check your school email for graduation information.
• Find out how much your cap, gown, and cords cost.

Pro tip: Meet with your college counseling and advising staff to be sure you are on track to graduate.

Check out the MCC EXPO and other upcoming events on their events page.

Check out Baker College of Muskegon online and in person events.

Attending Baker's CIM? They have an events page too.

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).