Compare the named Promise and return-to-college programs in your state. Check who can use the benefit, which school it covers and what remains to pay.
Use the state guide to find the named program, then check the exact participating school and residency rules.
Compare tuition, mandatory fees and any excluded charges instead of treating the word free as a complete budget.
Check the official program’s aid application, enrollment and renewal instructions for the correct academic year.
What the source says it covers
Remaining eligible SUNY / CUNY tuitionAn important condition
New York residency or qualifying NYS DREAM Act eligibilityBefore you commit
Last-dollar aid: other applicable grants are applied to tuition firstWhat the source says it covers
Tuition, books, supplies and eligible feesAn important condition
NY resident or eligible for in-state tuition; age 25–55 as of the applicable January 1Before you commit
Only designated programs qualify; confirm your specific course of studyWhat the source says it covers
Eligible tuition and fees at Massachusetts public community colleges, after other aid, subject to appropriation. The college calculates the award; additional books, supplies and other-expense allowances depend on income and eligibility.An important condition
Matriculate in an eligible undergraduate certificate or associate-degree programme at a participating Massachusetts public community college, with at least 6 credits per term or the equivalent.Before you commit
Additional allowances are income-based and do not establish that all living expenses will be paid. The official page summarizes MassEducate and MassReconnect together; the college must apply the appropriate programme guidelines to your case.| Free type | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 802Opportunity at Community College of Vermont VT | Free-college programs | Combines with federal/state grants to cover CCV tuition and the $125 administrative fee for eligible students in fall, spring and summer. It does not cover textbooks, materials or other course fees. Source ↗ · 2026-10-16 | Use the actual CCV term’s admission/registration calendar and finish the aid applications; this page does not state one statewide year-specific final deadline. | Free if eligible |
| Arizona Promise Program AZ | Free-college programs | After other aid, the programme covers tuition and fees at Arizona public universities for eligible students. Source ↗ · 2026-10-16 | The source encourages FAFSA by April 1 of senior year for priority consideration. Confirm the actual application year and university timing. | Free if eligible |
| Delaware SEED at Delaware Tech DE | Free-college programs | At Delaware Tech, SEED pays the tuition gap after applicable grants/waivers for eligible degree, credit-certificate or workforce-training study. Fees and books are excluded; up to ten continuous semesters are available under programme rules. Source ↗ · 2026-10-16 | Delaware Tech recommends financial-aid filing by the annual April 1 priority date. Apply early and complete all requested forms; no single year-specific final SEED deadline is established here. | Free if eligible |
| Excelsior Scholarship NY · Application closed | Free-college programs | Remaining eligible SUNY / CUNY tuition Source ↗ · 2026-10-15 | 2026–27 application is closed | Free if eligible |
| Hawaiʻi Promise HI | Free-college programs | Hawaiʻi Promise bridges financial need for direct education costs at a UH community college, including tuition, fees and books. The actual amount depends on funding, enrollment, need and other financial resources. Source ↗ · 2026-10-16 | The official page gives March 1 as the FAFSA financial-aid priority date, without a full calendar year in that instruction. Confirm the current award year and later consideration with your campus. | Free if eligible |
| Kansas Promise Act Scholarship KS | Free-college programs | Covers eligible tuition, required fees, books/materials after other gift aid, up to 68 funded credits or $20,000 lifetime, whichever comes first. Eligible four-year providers have a two-year public-cost cap for the same field. Source ↗ · 2026-10-16 | Spring 2027 application deadline: March 1, 2027. The listed Summer/Fall 2026 deadlines have passed; the application can close earlier if funds are exhausted. | Free if eligible |
| Mary Ann Handley Award — CT State Free Tuition CT | Free-college programs | CT State funding covers the gap between federal/state grants and community-college tuition and mandatory fees for qualifying students. It is limited to the first 72 earned credits and available funds. Source ↗ · 2026-10-16 | Complete all aid and program requirements by your term census date. The appeal deadline is the 21st day after the first day of class; confirm the actual term calendar with CT State and apply early while funds remain. | Free if eligible |
| Maryland Community College Promise Scholarship MD | Free-college programs | MHEC’s reviewed statewide page describes the 2025–26 last-dollar scholarship: up to $5,000 toward remaining community-college tuition and mandatory fees after federal/state aid. This is a prior-cycle description, not a confirmed current-year award. Some listed cycles have no reviewed funding or eligibility here. Check the cycle before using these programme facts. Source ↗ · 2026-10-16 | State page: April 1, 2026 for 2025–26 — passed. It separately describes rolling continuing-education application timing. Confirm the current-year route with your college; see the separate PGCC 2026–27 example. | Free if eligible |
| Maryland Promise at Prince George’s Community College MD | Free-college programs | At PGCC, this last-dollar scholarship covers remaining tuition and mandatory fees after federal/state aid, subject to the college’s eligibility and award decision. The current college page does not quote a universal guaranteed cash award or a current-year maximum. Source ↗ · 2026-10-16 | PGCC currently lists FAFSA/One App by April 1, 2027 and 2026–27 Promise forms. Confirm the correct term and credit/noncredit process with PGCC; this is not a verified statewide date. | Free if eligible |
| MassEducate MA | Free-college programs | Eligible tuition and fees at Massachusetts public community colleges, after other aid, subject to appropriation. The college calculates the award; additional books, supplies and other-expense allowances depend on income and eligibility. Source ↗ · 2026-10-16 | Confirm the intended term, financial-aid filing and verification timing with the college. The reviewed programme page does not establish one universal closing date. | Free if eligible |
| Michigan Community College Guarantee MI | Free-college programs | Eligible students can receive last-dollar support up to in-district tuition, contact hours and mandatory fees at a Michigan community or Tribal college, generally for up to three years. Pell-eligible students may also receive a Michigan Achievement Bonus of up to $1,000 per academic year; the college calculates the package. Source ↗ · 2026-10-16 | File the current-year FAFSA and meet the entry window: enrollment must begin within 15 months of high-school/equivalency completion. For academic year 2026–27, the manual states August 6, 2027 as the final day to become eligible. The FAQ’s “no deadline” wording is not used to erase that year-specific rule; confirm the intended entry term and award year with the college. | Free if eligible |
| Michigan Reconnect MI | Free-college programs | Tuition is covered at your in-district community college. Out-of-district attendance receives only a tuition discount. Source ↗ · 2026-10-16 | Use the official online application and confirm programme start/residency timing with your college or Navigator; this page gives no single full-date deadline. | Free if eligible |
| Nevada Promise Scholarship at CSN — Class of 2027 NV | Free-college programs | Last-dollar tuition and mandatory registration fees not already covered by other gift aid, for up to three years at CSN or until graduation, whichever comes first. Fall/spring only; special course, online, programme and new-student fees are excluded. Source ↗ · 2026-10-16 | Initial Class-of-2027 application: October 31, 2026. Subsequent required deadlines include March 1, April 1, May 1 and July 1, 2027; submitting the first application does not complete the later steps. | Free if eligible |
| New Hampshire Promise — Fall 2027 Entry NH | Free-college programs | Beginning fall 2027, federal, state and institutional grant aid covers standard tuition for eligible students at UNH Durham, UNH Manchester, UNH CPS Online, Keene State or Plymouth State. Fees, books, housing and meals remain separate. Source ↗ · 2026-10-16 | Programme begins fall 2027 for eligible new first-year/CCSNH associate-transfer entrants. Apply for admission and FAFSA by the institution’s timetable; this source provides no single year-specific final application day. | Free if eligible |
| New Jersey Community College Opportunity Grant NJ | Free-college programs | Pays remaining tuition for up to 18 credits per term and approved education fees after other grants and scholarships, for an eligible first associate degree at a New Jersey community college. Source ↗ · 2026-10-16 | Spring 2027 only: application receipt by February 15, 2027; state-record completion is March 1 or 30 days from initial notification as applicable. Earlier fall 2026 filing deadlines have passed. Other academic years have different deadlines. | Free if eligible |
| New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship NM | Free-college programs | Up to 100% of tuition and required fees Source ↗ · 2026-10-15 | Awarded by the college · confirm term dates | Free if eligible |
| North Star Promise MN · Application closed | Free-college programs | The college covers remaining base tuition and mandatory fees after other gift aid, such as scholarships, grants, waivers and stipends. The calculation is term-by-term, and your North Star award can be zero if other gift aid already covers those charges. Source ↗ · 2026-10-16 | June 1, 2026 for 2026–27 — passed. No next-year deadline or late-filing exception is established here; check the college and OHE. | Free if eligible |
| Oklahoma’s Promise OK | Free-college programs | Pays covered tuition at Oklahoma public two-year/four-year institutions; accredited private colleges and eligible public technology-centre programmes receive at least a portion. Fees, books, supplies and room/board are excluded. Source ↗ · 2026-10-16 | For grade-12 students in 2026–27, submit/postmark by December 31, 2026 and before official graduation. Grades 8–11 are encouraged to apply by June 30; homeschool timing is before age 18. Use the actual branch’s earlier applicable date. | Free if eligible |
| Oregon Promise Grant OR | Free-college programs | For 2026–27, full-time/full-year awards range from $2,280 to $4,716. This is last-dollar community-college tuition support after Pell/Oregon Opportunity Grant, up to the average 12-credit tuition calculation, not a full living-cost award. Source ↗ · 2026-10-16 | Deadlines roll by high-school/GED completion date, and usually require applying during senior year or immediately after GED completion. The captured page closes the older cohort and announces October 2026 for the new July 2026–June 2027 cohort; use OSAC’s deadline tool for your case. | Free if eligible |
| Rhode Island Promise at CCRI RI | Free-college programs | For eligible CCRI associate-degree students, covers remaining tuition and mandatory fees after other grants/scholarships, ordinarily for fall and spring over two academic years. Source ↗ · 2026-10-16 | CCRI encourages students to complete the financial-aid file by April 1 and to apply early. This is an annual recommended priority, not a sourced year-specific final deadline; entry/appeal timing still matters. | Free if eligible |
| SUNY / CUNY Reconnect NY | Free-college programs | Tuition, books, supplies and eligible fees Source ↗ · 2026-10-15 | College-specific · check the college calendar | Free if eligible |
| Tennessee Promise Scholarship TN | Free-college programs | Supports eligible tuition and mandatory-fee balances after other gift aid. Confirm the applicable institution/programme and its actual award calculation. Source ↗ · 2026-10-16 | Class of 2027: submit the Tennessee Promise application by November 2, 2026. The 2027–28 FAFSA is separately due April 1, 2027. | Free if eligible |
| Tennessee Reconnect Grant — Community College TN | Free-college programs | At a Tennessee community college, eligible Reconnect funding pays the remaining tuition and mandatory fees after other applicable state/federal gift aid. Eligible associate programs at four-year colleges have a different, limited grant rather than full tuition coverage. Source ↗ · 2026-10-16 | Confirm the current application, FAFSA and college deadlines with the college or Reconnect Navigator. Renew annually and maintain the listed fall/spring enrollment; no single sourced calendar deadline is recorded. | Free if eligible |
| West Virginia Invests Grant WV | Free-college programs | Pays eligible tuition, mandatory fees and Council-approved academic-programme fees after other eligible federal/state aid. At eligible public/nonprofit bachelor’s institutions, the statutory cap is average community/technical-college tuition and mandatory fees; not every school bill is covered. Source ↗ · 2026-10-16 | April 15 is the annual priority date, not a final cutoff: the FAQ permits later rolling applications. Apply at least two weeks before the term and finish note/verification requirements before it begins; use the correct summer-first award year. | Free if eligible |
Amounts are conditional. National options are pathways to investigate, not confirmation that a local provider has an opening.
Use the benefit and cautions on the program record, then add the provider’s actual fees, books, travel and living costs.
Compare age, prior-degree, residency and enrollment rules; Reconnect and school-leaver routes may serve different applicants.