Coconino Community College to offer free classes for high school seniors

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — High school seniors in Coconino County will be able to attend summer classes at Coconino Community College for free.

Thanks to COVID relief funding from the federal government, county high school seniors will be able to get a head start on a college education this summer.

“In keeping with our philosophy of ‘Students First,’ we are using as much of the federal funding as possible to help students get started in college right away,” said CCC President Dr. Colleen A. Smith. “There will also be funding to help students who have needed to take some time away from their college studies due to the many different impacts of the pandemic. Give us a call, or come see us so that you can gear up for summer and fall classes.”

CCC Provost Dr. Nate Southerland said, “This year’s graduating class has really been impacted by COVID, and we want to help them launch their college career successfully. Whether they need to take some remedial classes to catch up on their Math and English skills or get a head start on the classes required for their major, we want our graduating seniors to know that we are here for them.”

Southerland added that stimulus money will also be available to help with the cost of tuition to all students who continue to take classes into the fall 2021 semester.

The college has more than $3 million in two rounds of funds from the federal government to assist students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds may be distributed to the students in the next year. The first round of funding, about $552,000 comes from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021. The next round of funding for students at CCC from the same act, called the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, is about $2.45 million.

These funds will help new students make the transition to college, help current students continue their college journey, and help students who may have stopped attending college because of the pandemic to return in order to reskill and recover from the effects of the pandemic.

More information about CCC’s summer offerings, or to apply to CCC, visit www.coconino.edu/apply-now.

Information provided by Coconino Community College