High school graduates have a new way to 'Catch Up,' for college especially if their education was impacted by COVID.
The best part: it's free.
It's part ofNorth Central Technical College's "COVID Catch-Up" program.
The college is offering up to six credits for students looking to get ahead and for those facing financial hardships.
"I'm broke, I have nothing and this COVID Catch-Up Program, it's just awesome. For one, they pay for your books, they pay for your scrubs, they help you with all this stuff," said Aubrey Hurst, an incoming NTC student.
When adding up how much a college credit costs, plus books and supplies, students on average could save up to $1,000.
The classes that are offered are mainly general education courses so students can focus on their core classes later.
"Just to give back to them, let them know we know it was a little bit of a trying time or they had a little bit of a different experience. Really just show them that we know they went through this financial hardship due to COVID," said Ashley Deaver, Director of Student Recruitment.
50 students have been approved for 'COVID Catch-Up' so far.
College officials say many more can be approved as well, but to take advantage of it they need to reach out to the school within the next two weeks.
"If they decide they want to do a certificate or a technical diploma...it has helped them pretty significantly to get on their path to completing that," Deaver said.
High school seniors who have just graduated can fill out an application for the COVID Catch-Up Program here.
