San Francisco City College will be free for residents

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and Supervisor Jane Kim: The city found a way to fund free community college education to residents.

SAN FRANCISCO – Starting next year, City College of San Francisco will be the first in the nation to make community college free of charge to all city residents taking courses for credit.

The city will pay $5.4 million a year to cover the $46-a-credit usually paid by students, announced Mayor Edwin M. Lee, Supervisor Jane Kim and City College Acting Chancellor Susan Lamb.

Additionally, the new program will offer financial assistance for low-income students with a grant to fund books, transportation, health fees and other expenses.

“As a child of working-class immigrants, I know first-hand the importance of a college education and the struggles to pay for it,” said Mayor Lee. He said the city found an economic plan to make the program possible.

Lee tapped key staff from the Mayor’s office, City College, the San Francisco Unified School District, the Board of Supervisors, the Human Services Agency, the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families, the Controller’s Office, and the Office of Economic and Workforce Development.

City College of San Francisco at Valencia Street.

The $5.4 million per year plan will provide:

• Free tuition for all students who are California residents living in San Francisco.
• $500 annually to full time students that have a Board of Governors (BOG) fee waiver to use for books, transportation, supplies, and health fees. ($250 per fall and spring semester).
• $200 annually to part time students who have a BOG fee waiver to use for books, transportation, supplies and health fees. ($100 per fall and spring semester).
• The plan will also provide City College with a one-time amount of $500,000 (funded already in FY16-17) for capacity and systems to implement the plan.

City College of San Francisco (CCSF) is a public, two-year community college overseen by the Accrediting Commission for Community & Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.  It offers courses in more than 50 academic programs and over 100 occupational disciplines and a full range of credit courses leading to the Associate of Arts and Science degrees, most of which meet the general education requirements for transfer to a four-year colleges and universities.