To qualify, students must:

• Have a high school diploma or equivalent. This includes home schooled students, and students earning a GED or Hi-SET during those years.
• Apply and be accepted to SMCC.
• File the FAFSA.
  Please note:  If you aren’t eligible to file the FAFSA or can’t complete it for any reason, you must contact the SMCC Financial Aid Office.
• Enroll in the following timeframes:
  • 2022 grads – No later than Fall 2024, Spring 2025, or Summer 2025
  • 2023 grads – No later than Fall 2025, Spring 2026, or Summer 2026
  • 2024 grads – No later than Fall 2026, Spring 2027, or Summer 2027
  • 2025 grads – No later than Fall 2027, Spring 2028, or Summer 2028
    
• Complete the program of study within 200% of the stated completion time (i.e., if your program completion time is 2-years, you can take up to 4-years to complete it). This means part-time enrollment is an option.
• Pursue a certificate or associate degree.
• Accept all federal and state grants and scholarships, which are determined after your FAFSA is processed.
• Participate in academic planning and advising to stay on track to completion.
• Live in Maine at the time of enrollment and while enrolled in the program.

Yes. Enroll in the following timeframes:

• 2022 grads – No later than Fall 2024, Spring 2025, or Summer 2025
• 2023 grads – No later than Fall 2025, Spring 2026, or Summer 2026
• 2024 grads – No later than Fall 2026, Spring 2027, or Summer 2027
• 2025 grads – No later than Fall 2027, Spring 2028, or Summer 2028

There is no application for the Free College Scholarship. If you are eligible and enroll at SMCC, our financial aid office will work with you to award the scholarship. Apply to SMCC now.

The Free College Scholarship pays for tuition and mandatory fees that are not covered by federal and state grants. The Free College Scholarship does not pay for: books, supplies, transportation, housing, food, etc.

You can choose from any of our degree or certificate programs. View programs.

Part-time enrollment is also an option. You can continue accessing the Free College Scholarship for the program you are pursuing for up to 200% of the completion time (i.e., if your program completion time is 2-years, you can take up to 4-years to complete it).
Plus, SMCC offers multiple tuition waiver or free college opportunities, including free short-term workforce training, which you can learn about by visiting our Career Skills & Workforce Training webpage.

No. The intent is to increase the number of people with associate degrees. There is flexibility in the event of extenuating personal circumstances, at the discretion of the college leadership.

• Yes, if the two certificates are stackable. (for example, Heating certificate, Plumbing certificate) 
• Yes, if the certificate leads to the associate degree (for example, Automotive Chassis certificate) 
• Yes, if the two certificates are directly related. (for example, Construction Technology certificate and Electrician Technology certificate) 
• No, if the two certificates are not related.

The FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It’s used by all schools to determine eligibility for federal and state financial aid. If you need help, there are advisors standing by at FAME Maine. You can also contact our financial aid office at 207-741-5518, email smccfinancialaid@mainecc.edu or visit our Financial Aid webpage.

Yes! Noncitizens qualify for the scholarship.

Up to 200% of completion time (i.e., if your program completion time is 2-years, you can take up to 4-years to complete it).

Yes! If you graduated from high school in 2022-2024, or will graduate in 2025, you qualify for free college, even if you’re already enrolled. You do not need to apply for the scholarship. The Financial Aid Office at SMCC will work with you.

No. If you’ve applied we will send you information regarding your acceptance and next steps around the Free College Scholarship.

Unfortunately no – sorry! This scholarship is new and does not retroactively cover any costs.

Yes, it does.

The most direct benefit is to the students themselves, who won’t have to pay tuition or mandatory fees. But there are other benefits as well, including:

• Creating a spectrum of free education opportunities for high school graduates, no matter their path. Maine’s community colleges currently offer free short-term workforce training programs, which take less than a year to complete.
• Increasing the number of successful students at Maine’s community colleges. Studies show full-time students have higher retention/graduation rates.
• Increasing the number of young people in Maine with a credential of value. Supports MaineSpark and Maine’s 10-year economic plan goal of having 60 percent of Mainers with a credential of value by 2025, up from the current 44 percent.
• Increasing Maine’s high school graduation rate. Promise of free college for high school graduates may increase graduation rates.
• Encouraging young Mainers to stay in the state. Incentive to stay and get free college in Maine instead of pursuing an education or job out of state.
• Attracting out-of-state families who want to live and work in a state that offers free college for their children.

Are there other ways for SMCC students to get “free college”? (pulled from system FAQ’s)

Yes, we offer multiple tuition waiver or free college opportunities, including:

• Free Early College: With state funds, any high school student can take up to 12 free college credits a year at any MCCS or UMS college. If they exceed 12 credits in a year, tuition is half-price. For more information, visit our Dual Enrollment webpage.
• Free Short-term Workforce Training: With Maine Quality Center funds, Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan funds and a mix of public and private investments, SMCC offers free short-term training (up to one year) to thousands of workers every year. There is no age restriction, and many in program are early and mid-career. For more information, visit our Career Skills & Workforce Training webpage.
• Free College through state and federal grants: Community college is already free for many students, they just don’t know it! For years now, about half of all degree-seeking students at Maine’s community colleges receive enough grant aid to cover the full cost of tuition and mandatory fees. Seventy-four percent get some form of grant aid, lowering the cost of attendance.
• The Maine Community College system also has tuition waiver policies for:
  • Adult education students
  • Service members or veterans
  • Students from foster care
  • Native Americans from regional tribes
  • Low-income parents, via HOPE Program (DHHS – Higher Opportunity for Pathways to Employment) and PaS Program (TANF – Parents as Scholars)
  • Children or spouses

To learn more visit our Free College & Financial Aid FAQ webpage.