COLUMBUS, Ohio — Paying for college has long been a concern for students across the state.

In Columbus, city council met Tuesday where they celebrated a partnership with a nonprofit to make higher education more affordable and accessible for Columbus City School graduates. 

In 2021, the Columbus City Council partnered with the ‘I Know I Can’ nonprofit organization to create ‘The Columbus Promise’, a full tuition scholarship and stipend offered to qualifying Columbus City School students. 

Originally announced as a three-year pilot, it’s time for city council to recruit their third cohort of Columbus Promise students. 

It’s all about investing in Columbus’ youth. The Columbus Promise is not only a full tuition scholarship but also a stipend for books and transportation, including a COTA bus pass. 

It was created to increase workforce competitiveness and with 70% of the students taking advantage of The Columbus Promise being people of color. It was also created to close the racial gap of post-secondary education attainment.   

Because of this program, Columbus City Schools are seeing an increase in Columbus students enrolling in college and an increase in completion of the free application for federal student aid or FAFSA.

With The Columbus Promise’s success over the years, the three-year pilot is looking to expand to better the future of the students and the city of Columbus.

“And it’s not just because we love our kids, which we do, but we know that we need a more trained workforce to get the jobs that are coming to Columbus. When we think about Intel, when we think about all the health care openings, The Columbus Promise is looking to fill that gap,” said City Council President Shannon Hardin.

According to Hardin, when ‘The Columbus Promise’ was first created, 300 students were awarded the scholarship. Now, over 700 hundred students are able to attend college for free.