The Detroit Promise is a last-dollar scholarship that ensures all eligible Detroit residents have a tuition-free path to an associate degree, bachelor’s degree or technical certificate at participating academic institutions.  

Interested students should check with their school to ensure that their desired degree or technical certificate is Pell-eligible. Programs that are not Pell-eligible cannot be covered by the Detroit Promise. Detroit Promise funding is not competitive; every student who registers and meets the requirements will receive funding if their college determines they have an eligible funding gap.

As a last-dollar scholarship, any Pell or TIP funding will always be applied to a student’s bill first. The Detroit Promise serves to cover any eligible funding gap.

• At community college  schools, the Detroit Promise will be billed for any remaining balance up to the full cost of tuition and mandatory fees*.
• At university  schools, any balance will be covered using gift aid as arranged by the participating institution and a contribution from the Michigan Education Excellence Foundation (MEEF).
   

Apply now!

• Check out the Detroit Scholarship Booklet
• Read about specific Wayne County scholarship opportunities
• Learn about other Detroit scholarship opportunities
• Explore all of the Detroit Public Schools scholarships

• Cappex Scholarships
• College Mapper
• College Net
• College Scholarships
• Fastweb.com
• Student Scholarships
• Tuition Funding Sources

• Be open and honest. Emphasize your hardships and how you have had to be resilient.
  • Vulnerability and emotions create a powerful connection between the reader and the author, and allows the reader to be personally invested in your essay
• Read the instructions and make sure you understand them before you start writing. 
  • That includes paying attention to the formatting requirements, like font and size.
• Start with an outline of the paragraph about what you will write about. Bullet points. Then expand on your thoughts, making full sentences.
  • Include your thesis statement, supporting statements and quotes/citations that you plan to use. 
• Write proudly of your accomplishments, but do not brag.
• Use "Spelling and Grammar check".
• Your essay should have a strong hook introduction that opens with an interesting excerpt of the story you are sharing in the prompt, one to three body paragraphs about relevant details of the story and how it relates to the prompt, making you a suitable candidate, and an ending conclusion to wrap up the essay.
• Read the essay prompt/question again, and then read your essay to make sure that your essay properly addresses every point.
• Ask others for their feedback.

Learn how to write a scholarship essay and find out about other scholarship essay tips!