Wayne State University is offering a Frontliners Forward scholarship to essential Michigan frontline workers interested in pursuing a four-year degree. To be eligible, students must first complete the state’s Futures for Frontliners program, which provides tuition-free access to community college.  

The first scholarship of its kind in Michigan, Frontliners Forward will provide transfer students a $4,000 scholarship — $2,000 per academic year for two consecutive years beginning the term of admission.

“Wayne State University has a long history of serving adult learners who want to continue their education or begin higher education for the first time,” said Dawn Medley, associate vice president for enrollment management. “This is why we are uniquely positioned to assist frontline heroes who have given of themselves so unselfishly. We are acquainted with the needs of adult learners and have multiple resources already in place to assist them in realizing their goal of a four-year degree.”

The State of Michigan’s Futures for Frontliners program is the nation’s first, offering tuition-free college to an estimated 625,000 Michiganders who provided essential frontline services during the COVID-19 “Stay Home, Stay Safe” orders. It offers Michiganders who worked in essential industries but do not have a college degree free tuition to their local community college to pursue an associate degree or a skills certificate on a full- or part-time basis while they continue to work.

“Frontline workers are clearly the pandemic heroes, but they are also part of the direct economic fix for our country,” said Marilyn Kelly, chair of the Wayne State University Board of Governors. “We must do everything we can to provide working-class people with the opportunity to work toward a college degree in order to successfully address inequities in our workforce. The Future for Frontliners program will go a long way toward providing educational opportunities for our heroic frontline workers.”

To be eligible for the Wayne State scholarship, students must meet eligibility requirements through the Futures for Frontliners program, have earned an associate degree at a Michigan community college, and enroll in a WSU degree program to earn their first bachelor’s. Students will be automatically considered for merit-based funding in addition to the Frontliners Forward Scholarship.