SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – Oakland's largest community college will offer free tuition to almost all of its students this fall.
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Laney College on Wednesday announced that most students won’t have to pay tuition this fall, thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Education as part of the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund.
Students who fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or a California Dream Act Application are eligible, whereas international students are not. Laney College will also provide free AC Transit passes, lunches, student parking, as well as books and required supplies available in the student bookstore. Student fees will also be waived this semester, and students can get meat and dairy from the campus food pantry once a week.
"Community college students are often one flat tire away from dropping out," Laney College President Rudy Besikof told KCBS Radio’s David Welch in an interview this week. "Just the expenses of life and college that come along with attending are also, at times, a challenge for many of our students."
Laney estimates the cost of attendance for part-time students is $6,095 for the nine months a year they are enrolled. About half of Laney College's students are at least 24 years old and enrolled on a part-time basis, and nearly 71% of students in the 2019-20 academic year were Asian, Hispanic or Black.
As documented in the fifth season of Netflix's "Last Chance U," Laney College students must also contend with the high cost of living in Oakland and the rest of the region. The show, which focused on John Beam’s football program, highlighted one player sleeping in his car and another boarding with his great-aunt.
Besikof told Welch that free tuition and services at Laney this fall will ensure students "only need to focus on studying and being successful."
"We've identified, through some very rigorous planning over the last few weeks, resources so that we can meet all of those needs as they have their educational experience," Besikof said.
Laney College will hold seven informational sessions in August for students who’ve not yet enrolled or applied, and two events for students who have applied but aren’t sure of their next steps. The sessions' schedule can be found here.
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