The Metropolitan School is helping DC residents secure their financial futures through participation in a new program of the District of Columbia government called DC Futures. The program uses federal American Rescue Plan funds to provide DC residents with financial need studying at CatholicU or two other local colleges with scholarships of up to $8,000 annually for study toward degrees in selected fields that are in demand by local employers.
CatholicU sweetened the offer by also lowering the tuition charged by CatholicU to DC Futures students to equal the amount of their scholarships. That means that participating DC residents can earn an associate’s degree from Metro without paying a dime in tuition. The credits earned would also apply to a later bachelor's degree, if the students choose.
And the program is not just about scholarships. The DC government also offers additional funds for emergency situations and hires success coaches to work with the DC Futures students, all with an eye toward helping them complete their degrees.
Thanks to the Metropolitan School’s intensively personal approach, Metro has turned out to be a favorite school for DC Futures participants. To date, we have served about 200 students in the program, greatly increasing our impact on the nontraditional-student population in the District.