Michigan’s free community college shuts out rural universities. They want in.

A high school graduate living in the Upper Peninsula may consider enrolling at a community college but the drive across the vast, rural region may stop them: Depending on where they live, it could be a several-hour roundtrip commute.

That’s one reason why Northern Michigan University, Lake Superior State University and Michigan Technological University have for decades granted scores of associate degrees and skills certificates to students. Ferris State University, in rural west Michigan about a two-hour roundtrip drive from the nearest community college, has also offered associate degrees and certificates in addition to bachelor’s degrees since the early 1950s.

The four are the only ones of the state’s 15 public universities to offer associate degrees. They are lobbying lawmakers to include them in the state’s free tuition program for students at two-year colleges, the Community College Guarantee .

In 2024, 1 in 20 associate degrees awarded in Michigan came from those universities, whose leaders say the state shouldn’t discriminate where students go to college when awarding scholarships.

“We all exist in what I call ‘community college deserts,’” said Ferris President Bill Pink. “Our students don’t get a chance to take advantage of the (Community College Guarantee). That’s not fair.”

But some say expanding that scholarship program, which covers free tuition and fees at two-year colleges, would be costly. Annual tuition for 30 credit hours at universities costs about three times what it costs at community colleges, according to the state House Fiscal Agency reports .

While exact figures aren’t known, the tally could reach $18 million to $20 million per year if the state paid full tuition for all associate-path students at the four universities.

“It would be very expensive,” said Brandy Johnson, president of the Michigan Community College Association.

The universities’ lobbying effort comes as the state works to meet a goal of arming 60% of its residents with a postsecondary credential by 2030. About 52% now do , and the state is not on track to meet that goal, Ryan Fewins-Bliss, executive director of the Michigan College Access Network, said during Bridge Michigan’s Issues Summit last week. (Editor’s note: The Michigan College Access Network is a sponsor of Bridge’s Education Watch newsletter. The group had no role in the writing or editing of this article.)

The issue has been brewing since the Growing Michigan Together Council — convened by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to identify strategies to address the state’s stagnant population — in 2023 recommended two years of free college for all residents.

“The way we wrote it, it didn’t matter whether it was a two-year or a four-year institution,” said Pink, who co-chaired the council’s subcommittee on higher education. “Our regional state universities have such a good track record of students who complete their (college degree), and stay in Michigan.”

Pink said one of his top priorities after next week’s elections is expanding the scholarship program. At least a few lawmakers are listening. Pink said he spoke with a few who thought the Community College Guarantee was already extended to Ferris, NMU, LSSU and Michigan Tech.

Ferris officials recently held a meeting with state Rep. Tom Kunse, who hasn’t introduced legislation but said the expansion makes sense to support students in rural communities.

“There is a desert here for community colleges … and in the UP,” said Kunse, R-Clare, who represents the county where Ferris State is located and earned his bachelor’s degree from Michigan Tech.

“We should eliminate the geographic barriers of attending community college.”

Michigan began offering the Community College Guarantee in fall 2024, offering free tuition and fees for students living in the community college district and a reduced cost to students living outside the district. It is part of the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, a state scholarship first offered in 2023 to students attending four-year institutions with up to $5,500 annually.

Of the 153,924 students bestowed with nearly $558.9 million in state scholarship in 2024-25, almost $46.6 million went to 20,007 students through the Community College Guarantee, according to the State Scholarships and Grants Annual Report . It is a last-dollar scholarship that covers leftover costs after federal financial aid and other scholarships. The average award was $2,327.

Expanding the scholarship to four-year schools would be more expensive because tuition at the universities that offer associate degrees is the same tuition rate for students seeking a four-year degree, said Johnson, of the Community College Association.

NMU President Chris Olsen said exact costs aren’t known because “we don’t know how many students who are out there who would like to take advantage of this but can’t because they are not allowed to.

Perhaps there could be a negotiation with the four-year universities to discount the cost of tuition for an associate degree in exchange for expansion of the Community College Guarantee, said Fewins-Bliss, of the College Access Network.

“We don’t want to break the budget,” he said. “But if the four-years are willing to discount their programs to get access to the Community College Guarantee, I think that’s a fair tradeoff.”

Proponents say expanding the Community College Guarantee would not only benefit students but also nearby areas.

The population of Marquette, where NMU is located, is aging. Local properties in the picturesque region are being bought by people wanting a second home or they no longer have school-age children, said Zack Sedgwick, Marquette Area Public Schools superintendent.

“As much as we can keep our workforce and our future workforce talent in Marquette, the better,” Sedgwick said. “And that starts, in many respects, with the university.

“With the aging population, we need younger people as nurses, law enforcement, construction and plumbers. It’s a concern not just with education, but with our community as a whole.”

Not all students feel ready to earn a bachelor degree, said Sarah Dixon, president and CEO of the Big Rapids Regional Chamber. Offering free tuition for an associate degree at the four-year institutions is “critically important” for offering careers to students in rural communities. But it’s also essential for keeping them there for the region’s economy, she said.

“In order to keep our current businesses here, we need to support them with workforce and talent,” Dixon said.

In 2024, 5% of the 21,353 associate degrees granted in Michigan were awarded by Ferris, NMU, LSSU and Michigan Tech, federal data shows.

Ferris awarded the most, 750, followed by the 245 associate degrees granted by NMU, 158 by LSSU and 16 by Michigan Tech.

In a list of the number of associate degrees granted by the 31 community and tribal colleges and the four public universities, Ferris ranks 12th, just behind Wayne County Community College District, which awarded 875.

In the Upper Peninsula, NMU, LSSU and Michigan Tech collectively awarded 419 associate degrees in 2024 — nearly the same number as the combined 429 associate degrees awarded by Bay College (236) and Gogebic Community College (123), along with the tribal Bay Mills Community College (60) and Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College (10).

Any new or expanded state financial aid program that increases access to Michigan public universities would be “a strategic move,” especially for Ferris, NMU, LSSU and Michigan Tech, said Daniel Hurley, CEO of the Michigan Association of State Universities.

“Those institutions have historically served, given their geography and location, a community college mission,” said Hurley.

The effort to expand the Community College Guarantee comes as postsecondary enrollment declined at most colleges and universities and many have tried to find ways to attract new students such as unique housing , accelerated programs and more.

A preliminary report last week showed most universities’ enrollment fell from last fall to this fall but LSSU, NMU and Ferris were hit especially hard.

But officials say the effort to expand the Community College Guarantee is not about declining enrollment.

Said Ferris spokesman Dave Murray: “Ferris State, and the other universities offering associate degrees, are working to ensure local students have the same access to a quality education as those students living in areas with community colleges.”

Bridge Michigan partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.

This story was originally published by Bridge Michigan and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.