After months of limbo, the Maine Community College System is optimistic that the state Legislature will make the free college pilot permanent. 

Last session, the Legislature did not fund Maine’s free community college program — a last-dollar scholarship that pays for a 100% of tuition and fees for recent high school graduates  — beyond the class of 2025, making the future of the pilot program uncertain. It also removed language making the program permanent. At that time, some lawmakers questioned the cost and popularity of the scholarship, leaving the system unable to promise free tuition to future students.

But in the months since, administrators have responded to legislators’ questions, demonstrated the program’s popularity, and reduced its annual cost by $2.5 million. All those changes are contributing to the belief that Maine’s community colleges will likely be able to remain free, according to President David Daigler.

“The program is incredibly popular with voters, and I think legislators will begin to feel that pressure,” he said. “Voters from both sides of the aisle fundamentally believe that this is a good thing for Maine. It’s a good thing for our young people, and it’s a necessary thing for our businesses.”

Last fall, while the future of the scholarship was uncertain, the system contracted a survey of more than 600 Mainers across the political spectrum. More than 80% of respondents said they support the free college initiative, with 63% in strong support, and only 9% said they somewhat or strongly oppose it. Compared to previous years’ polling, support for the program has increased, the report found.

Since its establishment in 2022 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the scholarship has allowed all recent high school graduates to attend one of Maine’s seven community colleges for free, even if they don’t qualify for federal financial aid. The program led to increased enrollment in community colleges and contributed to an increase in transfer students attending the University of Maine System. More than 23,000 students have participated in the free community college program since it started, with nearly 2,000 continuing their education through the public universities and other four-year institutions. 

Many community college students previously told Maine Morning Star they thought they could never afford to go college before the program. 

For the second year in a row, Gov. Janet Mills included language in her supplemental budget request to make free college permanent, calling it “a highly successful program for Maine students.” She also included $2.5 million in one-time funding the Legislature did not allocate last session to fully fund the program for 2025, Daigler said.

“The free community college program has made a life changing difference for thousands of Maine young people,” Mills said in her State of the State address last month. “Let’s make community college free in Maine permanently!”

Mills’ commitment along with the changes to the program mean the Maine Community College System will enroll the class of 2026 “with the good faith understanding that this is moving forward,” Daigler said.

“It gives us the confidence of knowing that we can go out and say to future graduating classes, you have a commitment from us.”

But, the system will still have to explain that the program will have to be approved and funded by the Legislature for future years before guaranteeing admission, he added.