Howard Launches $3.5M Complete4Success Scholarship for Community College

The Complete4Success Scholarship will cover tuition and fees, emergency needs, and training critical industries for 2,000 eligible Howard County Community College students so students can get their credits.

Howard County government and Howard County Community College (HCCC) are partnering to offer a transformational scholarship program totaling $3.5 million to help community college students pay for their education and programs and ultimately complete their requirements. Included in that funding is:

  •  $1.2M allocated to provide essential and emergency needs for students considered “near completes”;
  • $1.19M for a student assistance fund;
  • $800K for short-term, non-credit training; and
  • $310K for program and student support

The Complete4Success Scholarship will cover tuition and fees, emergency needs, and training in critical industries for 2,000 eligible students so students can get their credits to complete their degrees and move into jobs and careers. According to a press release:

This funding will supply needed resources for nearly 1,200 credit students who are near completers and help them complete their degree. This program will also assist approximately 500 noncredit students with short term training. The application process is still under development and will be shared in the coming weeks.

“Across our nation, higher education enrollment suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students were faced with desperate situations—having to address both their academic and emergency needs such as digital access, books, food, and transportation,” said Howard County Executive Dr. Calvin Ball. “The Complete4Success program will allow our students to get the last few credits they need to complete their training or degree so that they can focus on creating their best selves and best future. These scholarships will also help us invest in our students so they can, in turn, give back in hard-hit industries.”

MACo and Maryland’s county governments are strong proponents of community college education and career and technical education (CTE). Counties provide substantial support for community colleges, and MACo has long-supported efforts the General Assembly to consider various budget and policy priorities for community colleges. In fact, the evolving and deepening role of community colleges and CTW was front-and-center at the 2022 MACo Summer Conference in Ocean City.

Read the full press release and learn more about the scholarship.