Promise College News

You should see the Muskegon Area Promise in your financial aid portal before classes start. Colleges will list the Muskegon Area Promise, but the scholarship will not be applied until after the add/drop period is over and the Promise is billed. If you accepted your Promise for the 2025-2026 year, you are set for Fall 2025, Winter/Spring 2026, and Summer 2026.

Promise college students also get a Promise stipend of $500 twice each academic year. For most students, this is during the fall and winter semester. This stipend can be used at your college for any college-related cost (books, technology, course fees, etc.). If you don't use it all at the college, you will get a refund from the college on their refund schedule. Each of our partners has a different refund schedule, so check in with your college for refund dates and methods.

Ultimately, you are responsible for paying for any college costs. This is normally the difference in cost between your scholarships/grants and the remainder of your college costs. But every year, there are students who don't check their financial aid or who think that it is awarded automatically (like magic). If any financial aid is missing from the list; like the Pell, Promise, or other scholarship or grant; the student (that's you) is responsible for all of the costs. All free money has deadlines, so be sure to check that portal.

If you won't have a balance due because everything is covered by all of those scholarships and grants you have, you should not need to take out a loan or go on a payment plan. If you are unsure what your balance will be, check with your financial aid or finance office. They are the best resource for your specific situation at your specific school.

Make sure that you check the following:

1. Your college email (every day)
2. Your financial aid portal (especially at the beginning of the semester)
3. Your online course manager (Blackboard or Canvas)

College departments, like financial aid, finance, and registration will communicate with your by college email and student portals. They expect you to read them. If you aren't checking, you could miss something important like FAFSA verification, missing financial aid, a change in class location, or unpaid charges.

• Students transferring for fall 2026 should check your new college's scholarship portal for transfer scholarship deadlines.
• If you are done using the Promise after summer 2026, 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 changing colleges to a different Promise partner this semester, you can use the acceptance form to update your college choice for your Promise scholarship. This allows us to communicate with your college and lets us know where your scholarship should go. Just choose "Change my college choice" for the scholar/renewal status and complete the form.

Muskegon Community College has 2 new staff members who are specifically available to help MCC Promise students. They might reach out to you during the semester.

If you are a Promise scholar who needs help and you aren't sure where to start, you can check-in with them. They will get you connected to the right MCC staff and can help you troubleshoot college-going processes. Stop in the Student Success Room and say hi!

1. Search for emails to archive.
2. Delete irrelevant emails.
3. Unsubscribe from unwanted junk mail.
4. Create an email signature.

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).