GTCC creates scholarship to remove barrier of cost for Guilford County high school students

JAMESTOWN, N.C. (March 1, 2022) – Guilford Technical Community College and the GTCC Foundation has unveiled the Access Amazing Scholarship. The $3.2 million initiative is designed to remove cost as a barrier for recent high school graduates in Guilford County and to help build a skilled employee base in Guilford County.

The Access Amazing Scholarship is considered a "last dollar" scholarship which pays the remaining balance of student tuition, college fees, and course fees once all other federal and state grants and other scholarships are applied. Some students will be eligible for up to $4,500 in annual tuition and fees. With this scholarship, no eligible student will pay more than $500 toward tuition, college, and course fees per semester.

Beginning with the class of 2022 and through the class of 2026, any high school graduate from a public, private, or home-school equivalent in Guilford County; adult high school graduates who are granted diplomas through GTCC and Guilford County Schools; and high school equivalency (HSE/GED) graduates who took courses at GTCC, and who enroll at GTCC in the fall semester immediately following graduation, will be eligible for an Access Amazing Scholarship.

"The goal of the Access Amazing Scholarship is to remove cost as a barrier for all students graduating from high school and provide access to quality higher education for students to pursue their educational and career goals in Guilford County,” said GTCC President Anthony Clarke, Ph.D. "Over the course of this pilot program, this scholarship could potentially assist nearly 6,000 students within the next five high school graduating classes.

"Another positive result of the Access Amazing Scholarship will be to build the skilled labor force for the thriving job market in Guilford County."

Both full- and part-time students are eligible to receive the scholarship for two years of continuous enrollment, fall and spring semesters only. Students must complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and apply for GTCC scholarships each year.

To maintain scholarship eligibility, students must maintain satisfactory academic progress as established by the state and federal government financial aid programs, including a 2.0 cumulative grade point average. Students also must be continually enrolled in the fall and spring semesters, not to exceed two fall and two spring semesters.

The cost of books and instructional supplies are not included in the Access Amazing Scholarship.

For more information on the GTCC Access Amazing Scholarship, visit gtcc.edu.

About Guilford Technical Community College: Guilford Technical Community College is the fourth largest of 58 institutions in the North Carolina Community College System. GTCC serves more than 27,000 students annually from five campuses and a Small Business Center. For more information, visit gtcc.edu, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.