ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — High school seniors on the Treasure Coast and in Okeechobee County have until Friday to make a promise to Indian River State College and receive free tuition while they earn an associates degree.
This will be the second class of Indian River State College's Promise Program.
Last year, more than 2,000 students took the pledge to attend the school and, in return, had their tuition paid for.
The program was so successful, school leaders said they have almost double the number of high school seniors already pledging for next year.
"We really open that door for students who may have been able to afford college but never would have gained access without someone giving them the promise that we will see you through this," said Beth Gaskin, the vice president of student success at Indian River State College.
"I didn't want to lose that opportunity because my plan was to have a year off because it was tough to save money," student Rayanna Cibulsky said.
Gaskin said the school noticed students were not going to college right after high school, so they launched the Promise Program in 2022 to increase local enrollment.
Gaskin said more than 75% of Promise Program students in the fall continued their education into the spring semester.
Indian River State College had a record-setting freshman class for 2022, including a higher percent of first generation college students than non-first generation students. The percent of Hispanic students also greatly increased.
Students must make the pledge by Friday and then follow up with the college application.
To get more information about the Promise Program or to sign the pledge, click here.