Free College Tuition Offered to the Kids of Kalamazoo, Michigan

Public school students in Kalamazoo, Michigan are getting the opportunity of a lifetime. In an unprecedented act of civil philanthropy, a group of undisclosed benefactors has made it possible for nearly all students of Kalamazoo's public school system to attend local higher education institutions.

The program is called the Kalamazoo Promise and here's how it works. For at least the next 13 years, students graduating from Kalamazoo's public school system will be offered scholarships to local colleges and universities. The longer the student was in the public school system, the greater the scholarship. Those who started at the kindergarten level will get a free ride!

The scholarships will cover between 65-100% of tuition and fees, starting with the class of 2006. Qualifying students will have entered the public school system no later than the ninth grade.

The program is geared around the idea of attracting businesses and families to Kalamazoo. The community expects tremendous job creation and higher property values. Kalamazoo is a city in transition, moving from a manufacturing past to a high-tech future. The city's largest current employer is pharmaceutical company Pfizer, followed by Western Michigan University.

With a population estimated at roughly 77,000, Kalamazoo is mostly middle-class and racially diverse.