Shelton State, City Of Tuscaloosa Partner On ELEVATE Scholarship For TCS Students

TUSCALOOSA, AL – Shelton State Community College, Tuscaloosa City Schools and the City of Tuscaloosa on Wednesday announced a new scholarship geared toward helping more students afford the costs of tuition.

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Shelton State said in a press release that the cost-matching program will now be available to TCS students who use the ELEVATE scholarship for dual enrollment at the community college.

“Dual enrollment provides high school students with exposure to college courses and workforce development,” Shelton State President Chris Cox said. “These students will one day be part of West Alabama’s workforce, and we want them to be as prepared as possible for the growing number of jobs in our region. We’re proud to join this effort to make enrollment at Shelton State more affordable.”

The new agreement will allow dually enrolled students who attend Shelton State to enroll at the school tuition-free for up to nine credit hours after they graduate high school.

At present, the ELEVATE Scholarship provides TCS students the option of receiving up to nine hours of dual enrollment at Shelton State, Stillman College and the University of Alabama.

The ELEVATE Scholarship is funded by the City of Tuscaloosa.

As it stands, 197 TCS students are currently receiving dual enrollment scholarships at SSCC, with courses ranging from English and math to welding and cosmetology.

Dual enrollment students will receive matching scholarships upon graduation, as leveraged funds for the students nearing $280,000 — an average of $1,420 per student.

Shelton State then said this dollar amount is expected to increase significantly during the spring and summer semesters.

“Our goal is that every one of our students is either enrolled, enlisted, or employed when they graduate high school,” Tuscaloosa City Schools Superintendent Mike Daria said. “The ELEVATE scholarship has been vital to allowing our students to gain college credit for free while still in high school, helping them to make progress toward their post-graduation goals. This new matching program with Shelton State is taking that even further, making college more accessible for so many TCS students.”

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