EGCC Trustees OK Free Tuition for Local Students

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Eastern Gateway Community College has sought a waiver from the Ohio Department of Higher Education to waive tuition and fees for students in Trumbull, Mahoning, Columbiana and Jefferson counties.

By offering free and reduced tuition and fees, Eastern Gateway has offset $163 million, as well as saved students $12 million through the use of open educational resources, eliminating textbook costs for the majority of the college’s courses.

“Eastern Gateway Community College continues to look at ways to add value to the communities we serve,” said Eastern Gateway Community College Board of Trustees chairman Jim Gaisor in a statement. “We are fulfilling our mission to forge pathways to the 21st Century American workforce to as many students as possible.”

Eastern Gateway Community College recently announced its largest enrollment for a fall semester at the college, with a total of 41,843 students on campus and online. This number also includes 23% more Ohio students, with nearly half of those students from within the college’s four-county service district.

For new, continuing and returning students who reside in the college’s service district, the EGCC Gateway Guarantee will be a “last dollar” scholarship that will cover students’ out-of-pocket costs for tuition and fees after Pell Grants, scholarships, private support and other financial aid eligibility is determined. 

To be eligible for the EGCC Gateway Guarantee, students in the service district must have completed a 2020-2021 FAFSA form and submitted an application to EGCC, available here.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.