NMU Seeks Access to Community College Guarantee

Northern Michigan University's president is calling for the state's free-tuition program to extend to rural four-year universities offering associate degrees.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Financial Aid

NMU Seeks Access to Community College Guarantee

Live Poll

Should free community college tuition be extended to students at rural four-year universities?

Northern Michigan University president Chris Olsen has called for NMU students to gain access to Michigan's Community College Guarantee, which provides free tuition to community college students within their district. Presidents of other rural Michigan universities have joined the call.

Why it matters

Students at Upper Peninsula and rural Northern Michigan four-year universities offering associate degrees are excluded from the program, even though those schools award a meaningful share of the state's associate degrees. Four-year universities do not bill associate-degree credit hours separately, so students can pay substantially more than at a community college.

Four rural universities awarded five percent of Michigan's 2024 associate degrees, over 1,000 in total, with NMU awarding 245. Thirty credit hours at a four-year school can cost up to three times more than at a community college, and the state has not yet decided on expansion costs.

The players

Chris Olsen

Olsen is the president of Northern Michigan University, who called for NMU access to the Community College Guarantee.

Gretchen Whitmer

Whitmer is the Governor of Michigan who implemented the Community College Guarantee in fall 2024.

The details

NMU is one of four four-year universities offering associate degrees in the Upper Peninsula and rural Northern Michigan, alongside Ferris State, Lake Superior State and Michigan Tech. The Community College Guarantee, implemented by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in fall 2024, requires students to live within their community college's district, and NMU has partnered with several area community colleges through articulation agreements.

Fall 2024: Governor Whitmer implements the Community College Guarantee.
2024: Michigan associate degree totals are recorded, including NMU's 245 awards.
2026: The program enters its third year as NMU's president calls for expanded access.

Policy Context

The Community College Guarantee, now in its third year, ties free tuition to community college district residency, leaving rural universities that grant associate degrees outside its reach. Olsen's call tests whether the program's geographic limits should expand to cover those students.

Students attending Northern Michigan University or other rural Upper Peninsula four-year schools for associate degrees currently do not receive Community College Guarantee tuition coverage. Those comparing costs should check whether an in-district community college offers the same program before enrolling.

The takeaway

Compare the cost of an associate degree at a four-year university with an in-district community college before choosing where to enroll, since the state guarantee currently favors community college students.